


Boys in the Tower

by Turchinorain



Series: Twists of Time [1]
Category: Time Warp Trio (Cartoon)
Genre: Adventure, England 1483, Gen, Magic, Queen Elizabeth Woodville, Richard III - Freeform, TWT, The Princes in the Tower - Freeform, Time Travel, Tower of London, historical fiction - Freeform, the book, time warp trio - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-02-03 17:06:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 42,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12752553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turchinorain/pseuds/Turchinorain
Summary: Joe thought that he was done with magic for good and is just a fun loving Brooklyn kid. But then visions of a tower, red and white roses, and his great granddaughter's interference sends him, Fred and Sam along with Jodie, Freddi, and Samantha to 15th century England. There they are given a mission to rescue two lost princes in a tower and meet some interesting people along the way. And this is only the beginning.





	1. Chapter 1

"Queen Elizabeth!" "Queen Elizabeth!"

"Where are the princes!?" " Show us the princes!?"

"Loyalty to King Richard!" "Loyalty to the White Rose!"

The cobblestone streets are crowded with angry townspeople dressed in plain clothes, men dressed in colorful, weird looking pants and shirts, and soldiers. And all of them are yelling at each other. A tomato suddenly flies through the air and splatters one of the weirdly dressed men. All hell breaks loose. Fruits and vegetables fly through the air. The yelling increases to screaming and the soldiers cut through the mob creating total chaos.

"This is getting ugly, we have to find somewhere to hide!" Samantha tries to yell above the noise. 

"Oh, you mean like Prospect Park? Where we  _were_ safe until you guys triggered The Book!?" Sam screeches. 

"Hey, don't yell at her!" Jodie yells back. 

"I should be the one yelling!" Joe shouts in frustration, "I shouldn't even be here!"

"You there!" A soldier suddenly appears in front of them, the very pointy end of his spear pointed directly at them. "Where does your loyalty lie?"

Joe speaks up for all of them, "Um... to whoever's in charge?"

"Traitors!" A burly, raggedly dressed man pushes the soldier aside and takes a swing at them with a sledgehammer. "Long live Queen Elizabeth!"

As his life flashes before his eyes, Joe has one cohesive thought; this is all his great granddaughter's fault. One minute, he, Sam, and Fred were just hanging out, minding their own business and the next minute all three of their great granddaughters show up. The Book gets triggered, and they're in the middle of a crazy riot. Although, if he's being completely honest, it may not have happened as simple as that. Actually, it may have started days before, when he had this weird dream.

* * *

_Towering white_ _walls_ _made_ _of rough stone. A giant wooden staircase stretches_ _high above. White rose petals, curling brown around the edges,_ _drift across the floor as if moved by a draft. Sunlight fades making everything gloomy._ _Until one by one, tall candles light themselves, leading to a door. But it’s a tapestry that moves to the side._ _A_ _section of the wall opens revealing another set of stairs going downward. Two trails of white petals lead down the stairs._

_"_ _Find them. Please. Find my sons._ _"_

_The room shifts. The walls become smoother, closer together. Cold moon light filters through iron bars. A wooden alter and a crucifix. A woman_ _kneels_ _in front of the alter. Water suddenly streams through the_ _bars,_ _a river cuts across the room. Water laps at the kneeling woman's knees._

_"_ _Please Warp Wizard, find my sons._ _"_

Joe wakes up in a cold sweat, his heart thumping a mile a minute. It takes him a second to grasp where he is. A concert poster hangs crookedly on the wall. Piles of both dirty and clean clothes litter the floor. An old beanbag chair sits in the corner in front of a tv and old video game system. Slowly, Joe lets out the breath he had been holding. His room, he was only in his room. Not some dark, dingy castle or wherever it was. Joe rolls onto his back and runs a hand over his eyes. Another stupid, weird dream. The third one in two weeks and they were becoming more and more frequent. Why, he has no idea. Sure, he's seen an episode or two of The Tudors but that's it. He doesn't have any real interest in any of that stuff, so why is he dreaming about it? 

The alarm clock on his nightstand goes off, belatedly telling him to get up. Joe groans and throws off his comforter. Time to start getting ready for school. Thankfully, the creepy feeling from his weird dream begins to fade as he starts his routine. First stop was the bathroom where the nighttime retainer comes out of his mouth and into its container. He checks himself out in the mirror. Same old freckles, but no new pimples. And the retainer seems to be fending off the need for braces pretty well. Joe runs his hand through his hair, making it stick up a little and gives his reflection a satisfied nod. 

"Good enough. I guess I'm ready for the day now." 

Joe moves about his room shrugging on his clothes and packing his backpack. He tries to remember exactly what classes he has that day but school days blend together in his mind. He doesn't hate school, far from it. His teachers weren't terrible and the classes weren't hard. They just didn't hold his interest much. Then again, nothing really holds his interest for long anymore. Not since he was a kid at least. 

"Okay, phone, books, notebook, pen. I guess I have everything." He looks around to double check and his eyes hand on another poster on the wall. Houdini, hanging upside down performing one of his famous escape acts. He doesn’t know why he still has it. Joe hesitates for a moment before reaching up and pulling it down. But while he doesn’t want it up, part of him doesn’t have the heart to just throw it in the trash. So, he carefully folds it up, stashes it under his bed, and finally heads downstairs. After a quick breakfast, Joe heads out.

Outside the weather is damp as a heavy, rain ladled mist hangs over Brooklyn. Joe walks toward the city bus stop avoiding rain puddles while deep in thought. His ear buds are in and music is playing but he isn't really listening. 

More than a few years have passed since his showdown with Mad Jack, and Joe has mostly put it behind him. It had been hard at first but giving up magic had been the safest option to make sure nothing like that could ever happen again. It had been hard at first but Joe adjusted. He found other things to get into like gaming (for like a year), music (until his mom tried to sign him up for piano lessons) and even soccer (until he learned from Fred that practice was six a.m. every Saturday). If anyone were to ask if Joe regretted his decision--

_HHHSSSSSSSSHHHHH_

The hiss of air brakes snaps Joe out of his thoughts and he looks up to see the bus pulling up. He waits as everyone ahead of him gets on before flashing his own bus pass and taking his regular seat near the front. Leaning his head against the cool glass, Joe finds his thoughts wandering elsewhere. That's another thing that's been happening a lot lately. His thoughts never really stay in one place for long anymore. 

The bus pulls to a stop down the street from the school and everyone who happens to be a student piles out. As he joins the growing crowd of students, he turns up his music to drown out the noise of a hundred kids laughing, talking, and calling out to each other. He waves to a few people as he walks through the hallway, but he doesn't really stop to chat. One thing that hasn't changed much over the years was that he's still a pretty friendly guy, but didn't have a lot of actual friends. He knows the names of everyone in his classes, and most of their faces too, but only keeps close with two people.

Speaking of which, Joe raises a hand to wave at Fred, already standing by their lockers and talking to some of his teammates. Fred waves back before resuming his conversation. This leaves Joe to keep in his headphones while he changes out his books and notebooks for his first period stuff. Unlike Joe, Fred has a lot of friends, mostly since he was on both the baseball and football teams. Everyone seems to know who Fred was, and sometimes he could be pretty arrogant about it, but Joe's just grateful that Fred's rise in social status hasn't made him a complete jerk.

"Do you always have this thing in?" 

Joe's music is suddenly interrupted by Fred pulling one of his earbuds. 

"Only when there's nothing interesting going on," Joe snatches the earbud back, but notices that Fred's jock friends are gone so he wraps his earbuds around his music player and stows it in his pocket. "Did you finish the AP Statistics homework?"

 "Ugh, no!" Fred groans and falls against his locker, "Those equations might as well be Greek to me! I thought Sam said that AP Stats was an easy class."

Joe rolls his eyes."Well it is Sam. Everything school related is easy for him. Where is he anyway?"

"Library, where else would he be?"

Joe laughs in agreement. Sam changed the least out of any of them. Most of his time was spent either in the library or his so called "workshop" in his room unless Joe or Fred dragged him out into daylight.

Joe pulls out his notebook and hands it to Fred, "Here, you can copy mine but I doubt it's right-"

"Dude, you’re a total life saver," Fred eagerly snatches it from him and begins copying on the next blank page, "I owe you big time."

"I'll add it to your list."

The first warning bell rings overhead and there's an immediate flurry of everyone rushing to their lockers and to classrooms. Joe and Fred get to their own class just in time and see Sam already there.

"Thanks for waiting up for us," Fred scoffs taking the desk in front of Sam.

"Well you know Sam, he just can wait for class to start," Joe teases taking the desk behind. 

Sam's too used to their teasing though. He only rolls his eyes and smirks a little, "I didn't know you two needed a personal escort to class. Next time I'll be sure to hold your hands so you don't get lost." 

Fred punches him in the arm a little harder than necessary making him yelp in pain just as the teacher, Miss Baxter, comes in. She clears her throat and gives the three a warning look. 

"Sorry, Miss B. I'll be sure to corral them." Joe calls to her.

The class snickers and Miss Baxter gives him an extra annoyed look but thankfully doesn't toss him a detention slip as well. "Alright class let's settle down. We have a lot of work to get through today. Pass your homework up to the front and then turn your textbooks to page 107."

There's a collective rustling of papers as everyone follows the teacher's instructions. Joe lets out a quiet sigh as the boredom already begins to set in. The clock reads seven twenty-three. Twenty minutes down, seven more hours to go.

* * *

Anna glances down at the time on the dashboard and feels herself relax. There's no traffic which means she'll make it back to school well before Joe gets there.

"You know," Uncle Joe starts slowly "I don’t mind dropping you off at home. I've only been driving for a while but I assure you that can get you there safely."

Anna cringes a little at the hopeful/nervous tone in his voice. This is the reason why she usually just took the bus back to school. Joe has no idea she has been secretly training with their uncle and she wasn't quite sure how he would react if he found out. But for some reason Uncle Joe is under the impression that if he talks to Joe face to face everything would go back to normal. And while Anna herself knew it was well past time to let things go, Joe is a lot more stubborn.

"Uncle Joe..." Anna sighs and gives him a sympathetic look, "Joe really meant it when he decided to give up on magic. He doesn’t even talk about it anymore. He hasn't done a magic trick in years. Not even his old card tricks. That's why we can't let him see you drop me off. I don't know how he would react if he knew."

"Yes... I suppose you're right..."

Uncle Joe's shoulders drop and Anna feels ten times worse. But there's nothing she can really do. The incident made her apprehensive to be involved in magic too, but she figured it was better to face her fears and conquer them before they conquered her. Getting into magic wasn't as easy or as fun as she thought it would be. There are a lot of basics to learn and the same repetitive exercises to do over and over again. No wonder Joe had always been so restless. Actually since he gave up magic, he seemed more restless than ever.

Still silent, Uncle Joe pulls up to her school and puts the car in park. Anna unbuckles her seatbelt, but instead of getting out, she reaches over and hugs her uncle. He startles, apparently having been deep in thought, before he hugs her back tightly. 

"I love you Uncle Joe," Anna whispers. 

"I love you too niece," He whispers back. 

She quickly gets out of the car and waves him off as he drives away. Anna then settles herself on the school steps and waits for Joe to come get her. 

* * *

The day had dragged on unbearably long and now Joe is beyond tired. Sam and Fred both have after school activities so he's walking by himself. Joe had tried a few after school clubs before but none of them ever stuck either. He doesn't mind though. He wastes just enough time at the computer lab before leaving to pick up Anna from school. Anna calls him over protective, but to Joe, he's just being careful. Any number of things could happen to a young girl walking by herself in Brooklyn. She could get mugged, lost, kidnapped by an evil uncle...

_Bzzzt_ _._ _Bzzzt_ _._ _Bzzzt_ _._

His music is back in his ears, so it's the vibration in his pocket that lets him know that someone is trying to call him. Without pausing his music, Joe pulls his phone out and looks at the caller ID expecting one of his parents. The name " **U. Joe"** is on the screen instead. A small frown pulls at Joe's mouth and his thumb hesitantly drifts to the answer icon, but at the last minute he swipes "decline" instead. His phone asks if he would like to send a pre-typed busy text and Joe selects "I'll call you back" and sends it. It's not that he's mad at his uncle anymore, he swears he isn't, Joe just doesn't feel like talking at the moment. 

In front of the junior high, Anna is standing with a couple of her friends who were also waiting for rides or for their buses. When she spots him by the gate, she waves to her friends and heads over. 

"Geez, can you move any slower?" Joe playfully pushes her as soon as she reaches him.

"No one says you have to pick me up every day," Anna playfully shoves him back, "Did Fred and Sam stay after school today?"

"None of your business," Joe's phone buzzes once and when he glances down he sees that he has a new text from Uncle Joe. Again, he hesitates. The last time he spoke to Uncle Joe was months ago at some family dinner or something. And by talk it was really just small talk and awkward silence. Joe isn't holding a grudge against him, there's just nothing to talk about anymore.

"Joe!"

He's suddenly jerked backwards by Anna and a car zooms in front of him. Anna gives him a look of worry. "What's wrong? You just walked into the intersection without looking!"

"Again, none of your business," Joe quickly puts his phone away and waits for the signal this time before walking, "now hurry up or I'm leaving you behind."

The rest of their walk home is uneventful and they reach the house in one piece. The house is empty and quiet as his mom wouldn't be home for another half an hour and his dad was in Europe looking at some hidden bones or something. As soon as they walk in Anna's cat goes to her mewling for food and Joe heads upstairs to his room. He dumps the content of his backpack onto his bed and sifts through the mess to find his school planner.

"Okay, I have reading for English, worksheet for Bio, yay. And then-AH!"

A sudden, sharp pain shoots through his head making Joe cry out in pain. It goes as suddenly as it comes leaving Joe out of breath and confused. "What was-AHHH!"

He can't even finish his question before the pain hits him again, stronger. Joe staggers to his feet, clutching his head, and-

_"Where does your loyalty lie!?" A soldier screams pointing his spear at him._

_A beautiful, but sad looking woman holds up a cle_ _ar chess piece, "This will aid you on your mission. Please, guard it well."_

_"You?" A_ _dark-haired_ _girl stares at him in astonishment, "You're the next Warp Wizard?"_

_A wooden stair case towers above him while red and white petals shower down._

"Joe!" 

Joe suddenly comes to with Anna kneeling above him, eyes wide in fear. He blinks slowly realizing that he's now laying on his back on floor. The headache has passed but face feels oddly hot. 

"I'm- I'm okay," He sits up slowly, trying to get his baring, "It's just- I think-"

"Joe," Anna's voice is a whisper, "your eyes are glowing."

Joe stares at her before standing up and heading into the bathroom. He gasps as he stares at his reflection. His eyes, normally a dark brown, are glowing bright green. He vigorously rubs his eyes thinking that it's just a trick of the light, but when he opens them again they're still glowing, but slowly fade until they return to normal. Joe wants to take a breath of relief but his chest is too tight.

"Did you see red and white rose petals too?" Anna says ominously behind him, "And the queen?"

Joe whirls around in surprise, his jaw dropping, "How did you-"

"Because I've been having these weird dreams at night," His sister steps forward with an eager look in her eyes, "which is why I think we should tell Uncle Joe and-"

"No!" The word bursts out of Joe angrier than he was expecting. He takes a breath in an effort to calm himself. "Anna, we're not telling anyone about this."

"But-"

"I've just been watching too much tv that's all," Joe turns on the sink to splash some water on his still warm face, "Or maybe I've been eating too much junk food before bed."

"Really?" Anna raises an eyebrow and folds her arms stubbornly, "Too much tv and junk food makes your eyes glow green and gives you visions?"

"Or maybe I was hit with radiation," Joe wags his eyebrows playfully, "And maybe I'll start to develop super powers."

Anna face suddenly becomes sober. "You already have powers dummy."

Joe feels his smirk drop and he turns away, "Mind giving me some privacy? We are in a bathroom."

He doesn't look back, but he can still feel her eyes on his back. Finally, though, Anna sighs and leaves him alone, closing the door behind her. Joe doesn't want to admit it, but for a moment, when he saw that his eyes really were glowing, he had felt excited. But now his stomach feels sick and he's starting to sweat. Why is this happening now?

* * *

Elsewhere:

The house is quiet without him. The dishes make little noise as she washes them. It's not so much that he's a loud person, he just has a presence that fills any place he occupies. The girl at the sink sighs and her hand wanders to the front of her dress where she pulls at the chain around her neck. At the end of the chain is a wedding band. It isn't real, only meant to be part of their cover sometimes, but she still cherishes it.

Another sigh escapes her as she closes her eyes. She can't feel Nathan's magic anymore. That truly scares her. No matter how far apart they are she can always sense his magic. Except now. But she can't dwell on her worries. He said he'll back and that's what she has to believe. It's her job, after all. Absolute loyalty to the Warp Wizard. 

* * *

Another Elsewhere:

The air is smoky and the light is a dim, sickly yellow. A girl stands in front of a hooded figure, clearly not wanting to be there but having no choice. The gold clink of coins from the hooded figure is what lured her into his lair in the first place. 

"It took me quite a long time to find you," The hooded figure rasps, "It also took me quite a few resources to get you here. I hope you're worth the price."

"I keep my customers happy, as long as they keep me happy," She says simply, staring at him hard. Beneath the shadows of his hood, the man is old, decrepit, cracks, literal cracks, runs across his skin. She shudders a little in revulsion. "So, you got a job for me or what? I don't have all day."

"I'm getting to it-" The man's growl of annoyance is cut off by a round of coughing. As he coughs though, his throat seems to clear and he stands a little straighter. "The money in your pocket is only an incentive." The man's voice is completely different now; smoother, less hoarse. He lifts his hand and a spinning globe struggles to float toward them on an unstable cloud. It stops spinning and a text box pops up: "England 1483".

"There is a certain object called the Crystal Rook that I want you to find here," the man gestures to the globe. "Return this item to me and-"

The girl chokes on a gasp and begins to snicker. As the man spoke his voice had begun to rise in pitch and his body seemed to shrink inside his hood. A monocle falls off his face and dangles on its chain. Suddenly standing before the girl is a child. 

"Return this item to me and I'll reward you handsomely," the man, now boy, finishes with an angry tone, "And there'll be more for every item that you bring to me."

"More?" The girl stops laughing and regards the man with a calculating look. Her hand strays to her pocket to touch the gold coins, thinking. The money in her pocket right now is enough to move her out of that crappy boarding house. More could maybe mean a more stable way of living. "Jack, you have yourself a deal." 


	2. Chapter 2

"I should be the one yelling!" Joe shouts in frustration, "I shouldn't even be here!" 

Jodie cringes but doesn't even have time to apologize before they're confronted by an angry soldier and then there was an even angrier shop-keeper. While she may have been (part of) the reason why they landed in the middle of a riot, it wasn't exactly an accident. She was just trying to protect the space time continuum.  

* * *

 _Red and white rose petals carpet the ground. White stone walls rise_ _into the ceiling_ _,_ _The_ _air is drafty and damp._ _A river suddenly rushes through the middle of the room. The mist from it covers everything until the room shifts. There's_ _a woman now, her blonde hair turning grey, kneeling before an_ _altar. A charm of a castle tower hangs between her clasped hands._  

 _"Find my sons," she whispers, "please_ _, help the_ _Warp Wizard_ _find my sons."_  

Jodie wakes up with a small gasp and but it only takes her a minute to regain her bearings. Strange dreams and visions aren't anything new to her. She had what her time tutor called  _magus_ _praesagitio_ _,_ a.k.a magic intuition. She's had it since she was a kid, probably due to her close relationship with The Book and she's working on getting it more refined. 

The room begins to light up as the sound of birds fill the air- her alarm for the day. Her bed tilts downwards, making sure she didn't sleep in. Jodie yawns a bit as her feet touch the floor which is already starting to warm. She heads into the bathroom to get ready for the day. As she thinks about it, there is something about her vision that bothers her. Most times her visions are like windows. They play in front of her, there's a bit of separation between her and what she witnesses. But this felt different. It felt like she was actually in the room with the woman. Or... it felt like the woman was in the room with her. 

Jodie gasps and whirls around suddenly. From her spot in the bathroom she can see her bedroom clearly. It's empty; the bed already self-made, the windows projecting the view outside. Jodie shudders and turns back around. It's odd. For a minute she swears that someone was watching her. Someone was in the room with her.  

"That's silly," She whispers to herself, starting the water for her shower, "My building has top security bots. No one is spying on me." 

Her goosebumps don't really go away though until she steps into the hot water. It helps to relax her a little bit and she can think on her vision more clearly.  

"It sounded like a cry for help of course," Jodie speaks out loud as she gets dressed, "Weird for it to be so direct though. I don't think she's a magician..." 

On that though, Jodie isn't absolutely sure. She can brag about knowing a lot of magicians, time travelers and non time travelers alike, but she doesn't feel like she recognized the woman in the vision. But there was a feeling. Something strong inside her that felt close to magic, but not really. Jodie shudders and runs her hands up and down her arms. Anything that felt close to magic but wasn't was always a red flag. 

By the time Jodie finishes getting dressed, the clock says that she's already running late. Sure enough, her phone goes off with an incoming message from Samantha. Jodie rolls her eyes, tempted to ignore the call but she knows that Samantha won't let her rest until she answers. As soon as she hits the accept button, a holographic image of a very irate Samantha pops up.  

"You do realize that you're going to make us late for first period, again right?" She immediately says.  

"Good morning to you too, Samantha," Jodie speaks the best she can while keeping her mouth still enough to apply her lipstick. Her friends may think she's obsessed with makeup, but it just gives her an extra boost of confidence she needs to make it through the day.  

"If we leave right now, we might be able to take the jet stream and make it on time," Freddi says nervously, eyeing the traffic behind them. 

Jodie makes a face, taking the last of her curlers out of her hair, "If it's alright with you guys, I'd rather take my hover car today. Riding on the hoverboards in a jet stream totally messes with my hair." 

"Ugh!" Samantha groans in frustration, pulling on her own completely messy hair, "Just... please get ready to go Jodie!" 

The holographic image suddenly flips around as Samantha no doubt tosses her phone to Freddi who yelps as she barely manages to catch it. It takes her a minute to right the phone and by that point, Jodie is already tucking The Book into her bag and is ready to meet them out front.  

"So, what’s up with Samantha this morning?" Jodie asks as she makes her way to the teleportation lobby.  

"She has a French exam 1st period," Freddi chuckles quietly so Samantha doesn't hear, "you know how terrible she is at it." 

"Ugh,  _ce_ _n'est_ _pas_ _si_ _difficile_." 

Freddi giggles, casting a cautious glance back at a pacing Samantha, "Be nice, Jodie." 

"Hmph, I'm always nice." Jodie hangs up and teleports herself to the rooftop garage. For a moment she feels weightless and the next she's on solid ground under a green translucent dome. Since those horrible rubber and metal, ground-based cars went completely obsolete, most garages were relocated to the roof. And that's where her pride and joy, her cherry red hovercar sits waiting for her. She received it as a gift for her last birthday and had been in love with it ever since. It was fast, it was cute, and it showed everyone that she was becoming more mature and responsible. Why else would her parents entrust her with it?  

By the time she reaches Freddi and Samantha, waiting at their usual corner with their hoverboards, Samantha looks about ready to tear her head off. Jodie pulls up the corner, opening the door for them.  

"Jodie-" Samantha starts angrily.  

"Oh relax, we'll make it in time," Jodie waves off her stern glare.  

"You could've gotten up a little earlier, Jodie," Freddi chastises from the backseat.  

"I was a little preoccupied," Jodie glances at them in the review mirror, "I had a vision last night." 

"A vision?" Samantha immediately perks up, her exam forgotten, "what about?" 

"It was odd..." Jodie shivers a little as the feeling comes back. The feeling of being... summoned into the room with that woman. "It felt like I was in a castle or something, but there was also a river. Like... inside the castle." 

Samantha interrupts her, "That doesn't make sense. The water would erode the stone and make it structurally unstable. No one would build a castle-" 

Freddi shushes her and elbows her arm. Jodie continues after giving Samantha an annoyed look.  

" _Anyways,_ she was crying in front of an altar. And..." Jodie glances at them in the rearview mirror so she can see their reaction first hand, "she asked me to help the Warp Wizard find her sons." 

As she expects, there's a collective intake of breath from the both of them and their eyes widen. She feels the same mixture of surprise and anxiety but is careful not to show it. The truth is, none of them have seen their great grandfathers in a very long time. Jodie doesn't know the full story, but what she was able to piece together from Joe and Uncle Joe separately, was that Joe may have had his showdown with Mad Jack, but Anna was the one who got hurt. Joe gave up magic for good, a rift opened between him and Uncle Joe, and consequently, a rift opened up between all of them. In any case, Joe giving up time travel meant that Fred and Sam didn't time travel either. She supposes they could always visit them, but deep down she knows it's better that they don't.  

"So, Jodie," Samantha's voice breaks into her thoughts, "what are we going to do?" 

" _We?"_ Jodie raises an eyebrow as she arrives at the high school, " _We_ are going to get to class. Don't you have a French exam?" 

Samantha exclaims in panic and stumbles out of the hovercar which Jodie still hasn't parked yet. Thankfully they're only hovering a few inches off the ground. Samantha hits the pavement and takes off running, getting a few odd looks from the other students filing in. Jodie chuckles, easing the car down to actually park. She gives her hair a final check (which is perfect of course) before grabbing her bag (designer of course) and leaving the car with Freddi. They actually share their first-period class together, Spanish II.  

With bots and students rushing to their lockers and classrooms, the hallways are crowded, but that poses no problem for Jodie. The crowd just seems to part for her as she walks, her head held high and she makes sure to smile at everyone she passes. Freddi trips along in her wake, taking advantage of her ability to part the sea of students before them.  

"So what are you going to do about your vision, Jodie?" Freddi asks. 

Jodie shrugs, "What else can I do? I'm going to ask Uncle Joe about it after school. I don't even know where the woman was." 

"And then after?" Freddi begins to look eager if a little apprehensive, "Do you think maybe we could..." 

"I don't know," Jodie sighs and opens her locker. Half a dozen holograph messages are waiting for her to download and read. Most likely from secret admirers. She swipes her hand to load them onto her phone for later and begins downloading her Spanish textbook. As she waits for it to load, she turns back to Freddi, "I miss the guys too, but... it's complicated." 

Freddi nods, toying with her backpack strap as her own book downloads, "You know... we haven't exactly been warping a lot lately either."  

Again, Jodie shrugs. The only explanation she can give is that she just hadn't felt like warping lately. Before she can say anything though, her locker beeps a few times indicating that her book has finished downloading. At the same time, the five-minute warning chime sounds overhead too.  

"Come on, let's head in before we're late," Jodie threads her arm through Freddi and pulls her along behind her. "If we're late again, Mr. Baxter's hair will turn blue." 

"You were the one who was late last time Jodie," Freddi reminds her with a laugh. 

Jodie waves a hand, non-verbally dismissing Freddi's most likely accurate claim, and they slip into class just before the final bell rings.  

"Almost didn't make it girls," Mr. Baxter gives them a look, closing the door. He's an overweight man of forty with an artificial toupee that didn't quite fit his head.  

"Sorry, Mr. Baxter, we got caught up in the ladies' room, touching up," Jodie gives him a sparkling smile, "We all have to look our best, don't we?" 

Mr. Baxter's large cheeks turned a light shade of red and he impatiently waves Jodie to her seat. A light titter rises from the class as Jodie sits down and a couple of girls give her jealous glares. Jodie inwardly relishes at the attention but keeps her head forward. She suddenly winces though as her temple throbs. She keeps her expression relaxed but she slowly breathes out, reaching out to see if there is anything amiss with the space-time continuum. There's... nothing. Releasing another breath, she relaxes again. Maybe she's staying up too late again. A shiver of doubt goes through her, but she ignores it. No need to worry if it turns out to be nothing.  

* * *

But the time school lets out, Jodie's head is full on throbbing. Her composure is quickly slipping by the minute making her snappy and irritable. She would love nothing more than to go home and catch a beauty rest, but during lunch, she checked The Book and there was a message from Uncle Joe asking to meet at Mabel's. She was planning on meeting him anyway, today is probably as good as time as ever. She'll go to meet him after she finishes dropping off Samantha and Freddi. Samantha at her part-time job, Freddi at her house to babysit.  

"You'll tell us what he says right?" Samantha asks, literally right in her face, "And if this means we get to see Joe and others, right?" 

"Ugh," Jodie pushes Samantha with one hand and rubs her temple with the other, "Sure. Whatever. I'll let you know." 

"Seriously though, it's been  _forever_ since we've seen our great- granddads," Samantha groaned dramatically, flopping against Freddi. She's pretty much echoing what Freddi said earlier.  

"Don't you think I realize that?" Jodie snaps then hisses as a sharp pain goes through her head. For a split second she could have sworn she saw something, but it happened too quick to really be sure. 

"Geez, sorry," Samantha sounds completely unapologetic, rolling her eyes towards Freddi, "What's eating you?" 

"A headache," Jodie sighs as it passes again.  

"Headaches haven't come with your vision for years," Samantha leans forward from the backseat to peer at Jodie more closely, "Maybe you see someone about it." 

"Someone like what? A magic doctor?" Jodie scoffs, "I wish." 

Jodie breaks out of the flow of hover cars and drifts towards Samantha's building. Samantha opens the door, letting the air whip wildly into the car, and drops out with her hoverboard. A moment later she's zooming to the front door.  

"My place isn't far from here, thanks, Jodie," Freddi too whips out her hoverboard and takes off.  

Jodie quickly closes the door after she's gone but it's already too late, her hair is a mess. She huffs in irritation and makes a beeline home to fix herself up before meeting with her uncle. When she makes it to her house, she parks her car in the rooftop garage and teleports to her room, heading straight to her mirror and make-up stand.  

"Okay, my hair isn’t completely unsalvageable," she mutters grabbing her brush, "I can just smooth out these tangles and- AH!" 

Jodie cries out and clutches the edge of her makeup stand. Her nails dig into the artificial wood as the breath leaves her body; as if the air around her is being removed.  _As if she's suddenly in a_ _vac_ _uum_ _._ Then all the force seems to rush into the vacuum, jerking her forward and a stronger pain goes through her head and- 

 _"Where does your loyalty lie!?" A soldier screams pointing his spear at her._  

 _A beautiful, but sad looking woman gives her a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes, "Not a witch," she says, "but a_ _descendant_ _of someone_ _far more powerful."_  

"You three shouldn't be here-" _A blonde-haired girl flicks her steely blue eyes at her_ , _"I suggest you leave. Now._ _"_  

 _A wooden staircase towers above her while_ _red and white petals shower down._  

Jodie gasps loudly and suddenly comes back to herself. It takes her a minute for her eyes to focus. Her heart is pounding and her forehead feels clammy. Something has just happened. Something big. 

"I need to see Uncle Joe,  _now,_ " Jodie quickly snatches her hair up into a ponytail and grabs The Book out of her bag. Her hands are shaking but she manages to turn to the right page. Nothing happens at first sending a fresh wave of panic goes through her. But then a trickle, followed by a steady stream of green mist pours out of The Book, warping Jodie away. The warp is bumpier than usual and she adds that on to the today's growing pile of weirdness.  

In the next instant, solid, linoleum floor is under her feet and bright florescent light glares overhead. Jodie takes a breath feeling a little bit calmer at the familiar surroundings.  

"Mabel!" Jodie runs over to the counter where the proprietress herself, Mabel, was pouring someone a coffee. 

"Jodie!" Mabel greets her without even looking up. This tells Jodie that she must not have felt anything wrong with the time flow. Mabel straightens up, turning her hand into a pen and pulls a notebook out of her apron pocket. "So, Jodie, the usual coffee and salad?" 

"Actually, I'm here to meet with my uncle," Jodie tries to keep her voice calm, "It's... really important that I talk to him. Do you know if he's here yet?" 

"Oh yeah, that tall guy with the funny mustache," Mabel's arm turns back to a hand and she points over to one of the booths, "Right over there, hun." 

Jodie walks quickly to where she's pointing and breathes a huge sigh of relief when she sees her uncle. Uncle Joe sits at a booth, his hat on the table next to a glass of water. He seems calm, which means that maybe there really isn't anything to be worried about after all. 

"Uncle Joe," Jodie greets him with a smile when she reaches him. 

"Jodie," Uncle Joe stands up, returning her smile, and enfolds her into her arms. Just hugging him makes her feel calmer. If anyone has the answers, it would be him. And he was the one who sent her a message to meet, maybe he already knows what's going on.  

"You've grown since I last saw you," Uncle Joe pulls back to look at her. His eyes seem to have purple bruises under them and are bloodshot. "How are you dear grand-niece?" 

"Better than you seem to be?" Jodie's smile falls, her worry tripling at the sight of her favorite uncle like this, "Are you okay?" 

Uncle Joe sighs. He keeps smiling but it doesn't reach his eyes, "A few things have... happened recently that I've been trying to... um.... why don't we sit down...?" 

Jodie nods sliding into the booth across from him. When he sits down, she notices that he stumbles a little, as if he's about to collapse from exhaustion.  

"Uncle Joe, what's going on?" She finally gets the courage to ask. 

Uncle Joe's smile turns into a grimace. He looks ten years older than he is and worn out. He sighs, "The Warp Wizard... has disappeared completely from time." 

Jodie stares at him, uncomprehending but fearful all the same. That explains the sudden vacuum she felt earlier. It had to have been the magic of the Warp Wizard suddenly disappearing from the time stream. But there had been a rush of power back into that void. What did that mean? 

"You felt it, didn't you?" A faint smile traces Uncle Joe's lips, "You've always been sensitive to the space-time continuum." 

"But what does it mean? Does the Warp Wizard not exsist anymore?" Jodie's head is starting to ache again. It feels like something big is around the corner.  

"It means... that Joe might be in great danger," Uncle Joe's eyes now show the full extent of his worry, "No one knows why or how the Warp Wizard disappeared. If he were... well...deceased it would be another thing entirely. But he's just disappeared. All trace of his magic essence is gone. And next in line is..." 

"Joe." Jodie finishes with a gasp, the situation is beginning to sink in. "And if we don't know what happened to the last Warp Wizard, we don't know if Joe might be the next target!" 

Uncle Joe nods gravely, "And he could have no idea about any of this. He may have given up his involvement in magic, but it's still inside him. He can be found. And... it's possible he already has been." 

Before Jodie can ask what he means, Uncle Joe is already pulling something out of his hat. He holds it out and she takes it. It's a piece of paper, yellow and rough textured. An ad that reads: 

 **Time** **Thief** **Wanted. Long Term. High Risk. High Pay.**  

There are more words underneath but they've been slashed through with something, most likely a knife.  

"That slash means that the job has been taken," Uncle Joe explains, "This was sent to me not long after the Warp Wizard disappeared. Turn it over." 

Jodie does so and gasps. 

 _Warn Joe. This could be meant for him. Someone might be trying to find him. He could be in danger. -- N_ _&_ _T_  

"I don't know who they are, but they could be right," Uncle Joe frowns and stares down at the table, "But every time I try calling him he... avoids my calls."  

"I'll warn him," Jodie stands up from the table, determination and fear turning in her stomach. She loves Joe but his stubbornness kills her sometimes. "He'll listen to me." 

"Thank you, grand-niece," Uncle Joe smiles at her, gratitude, worry, and sadness all mix together in his expression, "I'll do what I can on my end, but it would set my heart a little at ease if Joe is at least informed of what's going on." 

"You can count on me, Uncle Joe," Jodie smiles as confidently as she can, but inside is a seed of doubt. She'll have to stop at her time first to recruit Freddi and Samantha. The three of them need to warn Sam and Fred too if Joe is hard to convince. She just hopes that Joe hasn't gotten more stubborn over the past few years.  


	3. Chapter 3

The green mist clears, but the green light around them darkens. The sky is overcast, barely any light filters through the trees which is probably the reason for the dark lighting.  Jodie stands still for a moment, making sure their warp hasn't been noticed. That and give her body to a change to adjust to the 21st-century climate. The hover cars in her time eliminated a lot of air pollution, so the air of this era felt heavier, denser. It doesn't make things any better that there are puddles everywhere. 

Looking at Samantha and Freddi, Jodie can tell they need a minute to adjust too. Freddi looks downright queasy. Or is she just nervous at the prospect of seeing her great-grandfather again? Samantha looks manic, shifting from one foot to the other, her hair sticking up crazily. More than usual at least.

"Well?" Samantha demands, "are we going to go see them or what?"

"We're going, we're going," Jodie waves her off and opens The Book, "Just let me figure out where they are."

"We know where they are. Either they're at Joe's house or at that pizzeria they always go to."

Jodie ignores her and begins flipping through The Book. In truth, she's trying to buy time until she has to face Joe. The last time they spoke it hadn't gone so well. Admittedly, some of it may have been her fault. Joe had still been stinging over the kidnapping of Anna and the possible demise of Mad Jack. Uncle Joe had asked Jodie to talk to him and the first thing Jodie does is open her big mouth and tell Joe that if he had been reading The Book more, then maybe he would have been better prepared. It had been the exact wrong thing to say. Joe ended up yelling which made her yell. Joe declared he was giving up magic for good, Jodie told him that it was the smartest idea he ever had. That didn't go over to well.

"Here they are," Jodie points to a small map with three glowing dots on it, "you were right Samantha; Ray's Pizzeria."

"So, let's go already!" Samantha takes off, not waiting for either of them. Jodie and Freddi exchange a look and follow at an only slighter slower pace. 

The last time Jodie had talked to her great father it hadn't gone well, but that was a long time ago though. They were kids back then. Jodie only hopes that Joe sees it that way too.

* * *

In all the years that Joe had frequented it, Ray's Pizza hardly ever changes. Aside from a few new menu items and some repairs on the upholstery, Ray's was still pretty much the same as it was when he was a kid. And just like old times, he, Fred, and Sam are sharing a pizza after school. Joe watches in amusement as Sam struggles to teach Fred how to play chess.

Sam sighs, quickly becoming impatient, "Because that's not how a knight moves, Fred."

"Why not?" Fred looks at chess pieces on Sam's phone, "It's a horse. It can go wherever it wants."

"No, it can only move one space horizontally or vertically, and then one space diagonally."

Fred stares down at the phone and gives Sam a deadpan look, "Can we play checkers instead? This is boring." 

Sam glares at him and Joe snickers into his soda. Truthfully, he felt the same way when Sam tried to teach him how to play chess last year. Unlike Fred though, Joe was at least able to learn the basics. He quit just as Sam tried dragging him to chess club meets and playing old people in the park. 

"I thought you said this was a war game," Fred took a large bite of his pizza, still staring at the phone in confusion.

"It is," Sam begins to smile in excitement, "Most historians believe it originated in India. Some say it was China. But in Europe, kings would play it in order to sharpen their strategy skills in times of war and-"

_Bzzzzzzt_ _._ _Bzzzzzzt_ _._ _Bzzzzzzzt_ _._

Joe's phone vibrates, interrupting Sam's history lesson which makes him give Joe an annoyed look. 

"What?" Joe glances down at the caller ID; Uncle Joe again. He presses decline, "It's not like I called him." 

"Dude, just call your uncle back," Fred talks with his mouth full, "what if it's important?"

Joe rolls his eyes. He's pretty sure it's not important. Nothing is ever really _important_ , important to his Uncle Joe. He was probably just trying to convince Joe to take up magic again or guilt him into another awkward lunch. 

"As much as I  _really_ hate to say this, I think Fred's right," Sam gives Joe a weird look, "He's your uncle. The least you can do is-"

"Technically, this is the least I can do," Joe begins to feel tense as his phone starts ringing again. And of course, it's his Uncle Joe again. He groans as he stares at the caller ID. Why can't girls call him this much? He wants to decline the call again, but now Fred and Sam are both giving him weird looks so he snatches his phone off the table with a groan and scoots out of the booth to answer it. He waits until he's outside before answering, "Hello?"

"Oh Joe, thank goodness I finally reached you!" Uncle Joe's voice is frantic, more frantic than Joe expects it to be, "Something has happened and you might be great danger!"

Joe's heart jumps into his throat and his skin feels clammy. The pizza he just ate is starting to turn in his stomach. "Wh- what do you mean?"

"It's the old Warp Wizard," Uncle Joe says breathlessly, "He-"

"Stop," Joe's chest tightens and he can feel a burning, throbbing sensation at his temples. He closes his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath, "Nevermind. Whatever this is can't possibly involve me. I told you I was done with that stuff."

"But Joe, this is very serious-"

"Whatever it is, I want nothing to do with it."

"I understand your feelings but I'm still going to send-"

"I'm not involved. Thanks for calling anyway. Bye Uncle Joe." Joe quickly hangs up and pinches the bridge of his nose, releasing another sigh.  His head is still throbbing and the burning sensation moves behind his eyes. He doesn’t want to be rude to his uncle, but Joe still remembers a time in the not so distant past when Jodie and Freddi warped him to Italy claiming that he was in danger, only to be completely wrong. And it's not like Joe thinks his uncle would lie to him, but if he listens to his uncle or does... whatever it is Uncle Joe wants him to do, and it all turns out to be nothing, Joe would  _not_ be happy. The headache eases a bit and Joe opens his eyes. Maybe he is being a little mean. It wouldn't kill him to at least have lunch with his uncle again.  

"Joe?" 

Joe starts at the sound of his name coming from a such a familiar voice. He turns around and his jaw drops. The three of them look different in a lot of little ways, and he has no idea why they're here, but Jodie, Freddi, and Samantha are definitely walking towards him. Jodie smiles at him and looks nervous which reminds Joe of the fight they had the last time they talked. He lifts his hand in a tentative wave to set her at ease. 

"Hey," Jodie smile relaxes a little as she reaches him, "How are-"

"Are Sam and Fred inside?" Samantha interrupts, jerking a thumb towards the door of Ray's.

Joe rolls his eyes, "Yes and hello to you too, Samantha."

"Hey Joe. Come on Freddi!" Samantha grabs Freddi's arm disappears inside the restaurant barely giving Freddi enough time to give him a smile and a wave. 

"Glad I'm such great company," Joe mumbles shaking his head before turning to Jodie again, "So um... what are you doing here?"

Jodie shifts her weight and adjusts the bag at her shoulder, "Just... wanted to visit my great grandfather. Do I need any other reason?"

Joe's eyes fall to the bag on her shoulder. It's been a while but he still recognizes it as the one she uses to transport a certain  _magical object_ with her when she warps. Joe knows that his version is in a locked box underground, but he also knows that this doesn't prevent Jodie from having her version with her. Uncle Joe blowing up his phone is one thing; Uncle Joe blowing up his phone  _and_ Jodie coming to see him is something else altogether. 

"Just coming to see me huh?" Joe folds his arms and gives his great granddaughter a look, "Is that really just it? Or did Uncle Joe put you up to this?"

Jodie frowns and folds her arms too, "Well excuse us for caring about you. Maybe next time we shouldn't even bother!"

Joe winces and forces himself to uncross his arms, "You're right, I'm sorry. Look, we're all inside eating pizza. You want to come in and we can all catch up?"

"Actually..." There's a brief moment of hesitation from her before she turns to Joe with a smile, "I would love that." 

Joe smiles back and opens the door for her to let her inside first, but his earlier suspicions came back somewhat. What was with the hesitation? If Jodie really did come here just to see him, why did she still seem nervous? Like she was hiding something? Or was it just because the last time they talked, it hadn't been the nicestconversation?

When they get back to the table, Samantha, Sam, Freddi, and Fred are already catching up, having a great time by the looks of it. Samantha is clinging to Sam's arm talking animatedly about what was going on in school, while Fred is piling Freddi with questions about the next hundred years of the World Series. Fred and Sam shoot Joe mildly surprised but happy looks when he sits down which he returns with a shrug. 

"So," Joe turns his attention to Jodie, "How have you been?"

"Oh, can't complain," Jodie smiles smugly, "My parents bought me a new hover car."

"You have a car! How?" Fred bursts out, "there's no way you're old enough to drive yet! I don't even have my permit."

"The driving age in our time is different, Fred," Samantha explains, "With the dangerous rubber wheels and volatile exhaust engines you people drive in this time, it's a wonder why they let irresponsible teenagers like you drive in the first place."

"Hey! I'm not irresponsible!"

"Fred, your dad just grounded you last week for microwaving a laundry pod," Sam puts in, rolling his eyes.

Fred glares at him, "It's called scientific research, Sam. Maybe you should try it."

"I'm not sure if that's the same thing, Fred," Freddi giggles.

Joe smiles, watching his friends and their great granddaughters pick right back up where they left off. It kind of made him feel bad to think that he was the reason they all stopped hanging out. 

"So, did you tell Joe about the Warp Wizard disappearing yet?" Samantha exclaims suddenly then yelps as Jodie elbows her.

" _Shut up_ _!_ " Jodie hisses.

But it's too late. Joe freezes, his hand halfway to another slice of pizza, "Uh, what was that?" 

"The whole reason we came here, duh," Samantha rubs her arm and glares at Jodie, "Jodie, please tell me you told him what's going on. About your visions, what Uncle Joe said, and—Ow!" 

She jolts and glares at Freddi, who just kicked her from under the table. 

"I knew it!" Joe slams his hand on the table and stands up, "Jodie, you totally lied to me!"

"I was going to tell you eventually!" Jodie yells, then sighs, lowering her voice, "Look, can we talk about this outside? I don't need you causing a scene."

"I'll show you a scene," Joe grumbles under his breath, but he gets out of the booth and heads to the door with Jodie following behind.

* * *

An awkward silence hangs over the table for a moment after Joe and Jodie leave. Sam is the first to speak. 

"So, what  _is_ going on?" He asks Samantha. 

"Rumor has it..." Samantha leans forward, looking around as if she's afraid of being over heard, "that the Warp Wizard has disappeared. And who ever did it might be after Joe next."

Fred and Sam turn pale and exchange worried looks. 

"W-why now?" Sam looks queasy, "After all this time, why would someone be after Joe? He doesn't even use The Book anymore."

Fred nods, "Besides we totally got rid of-"

"We don't think it's him," Samantha interrupts, "We don’t even know if there is a someone for sure. But that's what the most worrying. We have no idea what might happen."

"Right, so thanks for warning us, but I think our best option is for us to continue laying low and not get involved. Right, Fred?" Sam looks at Fred nervously for confirmation, but he shakes his head. 

"No way, dude. I say we get to the bottom of this!" Fred hits the table for emphasis. His blue eyes are intense with excitement, "And I bet Joe will totally agree with me."

_"No way!_ _A_ _bsolutely not, Jodie!"_

_"You don't have much of a choice!_ _The fate of the universe- "_

_"I don’t care, Jodie! I. Don't. Care!"_

The table falls silent hearing the screaming match going on outside. Out the window, they can clearly see and hear Joe and Jodie fighting like they never fought before. Fred slowly deflates back into his seat with a frown. 

"I think it's safe to say you'd lose that bet, Fred," Samantha chuckles uncomfortably. 

The screaming match continues outside, making everyone wince. 

_"I'd like to see you make me!"_

_"You're being such a child right now!"_

_"Gee thanks mom!"_

"What did Jodie mean earlier by 'fate of the universe'?" Sam asks, "I thought this was just about protecting Joe. Who, can't be in danger if he doesn't get involved." He adds the last statement quickly, reminding them of his exact position on this matter. 

"Well, that's sort of the other reason why we're here," Freddi speaks up, "You see, Jodie's been having visions of a queen whose sons disappeared in some tower and she wants the Warp Wizard's help in finding them."

_"Because it's not my_ _responsibility_ _, Jodie! Why can't you find someone else?_ _"_

_"Believe me, I wish I could. But as far as we know, there is no one else!"_

"Hmm, a queen who lost her sons in a tower," Sam muses, "You wouldn't happen to be referring to the Princes in the Tower incident of 1493? In which Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury both disappeared in the Tower of London shortly after their father's death and before their coronation, would you?"

Samantha and Freddi nod gravely but Fred looks blank. Sam rolls his eyes but plows on, ignoring him. 

"In any case, it doesn't matter. Most historians at this point believe that Richard III had them killed and hid their bodies. Changing that could change all of the English monarchy. I'm sorry for the queen, I really am, but we should  _not_ get involved."

 _"I don't care what you say, Jodie. I am_ not  _getting involved!"_

Sam sits back in his seat with a satisfied nod, but now Samantha is frowning. 

"But what if the two are somehow linked?" She points out, "What if the princes' disappearance and the Warp Wizard's disappearance are somehow related? Like one caused the other. If that's the case we could be looking at a paradox of the space time continuum!"

Fred shoves another bite of pizza into his mouth, "I don't know what that means, but that doesn't sound good."

Sam pinches the bridge of his nose like he does when he's beginning to lose his patience, "Look, all of this is interesting in theory, but it doesn't matter either way. Joe isn't going to want to get involved and it's not like Fred or I know where he hid The Book. And we wouldn't touch it if he did." He adds quickly when Fred opens his mouth. 

The bell over the front door suddenly rings and Joe storms back into the restaurant with Jodie hot on his heels. Both of their faces are still stormy with anger and Joe's stride is purposeful as he makes his way back to the table, grabbing his jacket and his wallet. 

"You're being really childish right now," Jodie says through tight lips, "I thought these few years would make you more mature by now."

"I'm not listening to you anymore, Jodie," Joe sings under his breath and drops a twenty on the table. "Come on guys, let's get out of here."

"Wait, we're just... leaving?" Fred casts a doubtful look at a surprised looking Samantha and Freddi, "But what about-"

"Isaidwe'releaving!" Joe snaps, hissing under his breath. 

Fred scoffs like he's about to argue, but obediently scoots out of the booth. Sam follows him, mouthing a quick  _sorry_ to the girls. Joe nearly runs out of the restaurant making Fred and Sam practically jog to catch up. 

* * *

 

Joe is fuming, his heart is pounding, and his eyes are burning. He honestly doesn't care if Fred and Sam are following him or not, but he can hear their footsteps behind him. Actually, maybe it's a good thing that they're following him. Because he would completely lose it if Jodie tries to get his two best friends one her side. 

"Um, Joe," Sam says quietly from behind him, "don't you think you were a little rude back there?"

Joe glares at him over his shoulder, "Really, I'm being rude? Jodie lies to my face and tries to force me into something crazy dangerous, and somehow I'm the rude one?"

"You definitely didn't have to leave like that," Fred quickens his steps to walk next to Joe instead of behind him, "And besides, maybe a little warping adventure would be fun. We haven't had one in years."

Joe draws in a deep breath, fighting the really strong urge to punch Fred at the moment. Punching Fred would only lead to getting punched by Fred. He breathes out again and it sounds like a sigh. "You guys don't understand. I miss warping too, but I can't  _just_ warp.  _I_ have to be the owner of the most powerful item in existence.  _I_ have to be the one with a crazy uncle. And  _I'm_ the one who had the fate of the universe in his hands! It's way too much to handle and I don't even know if it's worth it."

At the end of his speech, Fred and Sam are quiet. Joe feels an embarrassing heat creep up his neck and he's afraid to look at them. In all this time, he had just played it cool around them. Firm but nonchalant in his refusal to use The Book or magic anymore. He never really had to explain anything. They had just accepted it after The Incident. And now here comes Jodie, his own great grand-daughter, trying to rope him in all over again. It was easy for her though. All she has to do was have a vision or whatever, and he was expected to just do whatever she said?

"Let's go to the park," Sam speaks up suddenly, "It's... nice outside and we've been trapped in school all day."

Fred gives Sam a look of bewilderment, "What are you talking about? It's like fifty degrees outside and it's about to rai- I mean," He interrupts himself after a pointed look and an elbow nudge from Sam, "y-yeah... we don't have a ball or anything but let's go to the park."

It's a desperate attempt to change the topic, but Joe takes the opportunity gratefully. 

"Sam's right, we've been cooped up all day," Joe stretches his arms above his head and tries to ignore the slight chill in the air, "Being outside will be nice. Let's go!"

* * *

Jodie is fuming, her heart is pounding, and a headache is beginning to throb behind her eyes. She can't believe how much of an immature child Joe was being. Is it her fault that she's sensitive to the space time continuum? Or that she's responsible with her gift? And did Joe really have to yell at her like that? People were literally staring at them as they passed by. And not in the good way that Jodie was used to. But Jodie isn't going to just let this go. Her fingers fly on the screen of her phone, typing out a message to Uncle Joe. 

"Jodie," Freddi looks at her uneasily, "What are we going to do now?" 

"I can't believe Joe would act like this," Samantha grabs a remaining slice of pizza, "He's normally so nice."

"Hmph, whatever it is, he better get over it," Jodie sets down her phone, satisfied with Uncle Joe's response, "We'll give him fifteen minutes and then we'll go after them."

* * *

The ground is still waterlogged and the grass squelches beneath their sneakers. A few people were walking their dogs on the walkways and a few of the younger kids were splashing in the mud, but that was about it. Joe could laugh at the disgusted look on Sam's face as water probably seeped into his socks. 

"I'm bored!" Fred whines, "Remind me again why we decided to do this."

"Come on, Fred, it's not that bad," Joe zips his jacket closed against the chill but he is feeling a little better. "It's fresh air. Exercise..." 

"Old lady exercise," Fred laughs, "Who just walks in the park for exercise but old ladies?"

"Actually Fred, studies show that walking is a low impact exercise that helps maintain weight, lower blood pressure, and help ease or prevent arthritis," Sam points out. 

"Like I said, old lady exercise."

Joe chuckles and walks a little ahead of them. Maybe he's just imagining it because he's in a better mood, but it looks like the sky is starting to lighten up.  Despite the frustration a few minutes ago, maybe the rest of the day won't be a total bust. 

"Hey," Sam catches up to Joe and lays a hand on his shoulder, "I didn't know we were meeting your uncle here." 

"What?" Joe's head snaps up and he looks in the direction that Sam's pointing. Sure enough, Uncle Joe is in fact heading towards them. It hadn't been years since Joe's seen him, but there's something different about him. Maybe it's the mud on the ground, but his steps seem a little slower. And maybe it's the gray overcast weather, but his face isn't as bright as it usually is. 

"Nephew," Uncle Joe lifts a hand hesitantly, wearing the same nervous expression that Jodie had earlier, "I was wondering if I could speak to you for a moment and then I'll get out of your hair, I promise."

Joe sighs, his temples are beginning to throb again. If it was just a regular visit, maybe he wouldn't mind Uncle Joe just showing up like this. But it's not just a random visit. It's another attempt to get him involved with the craziness all over again. Joe turns around only to see Jodie, Freddi, and Samantha coming from the other direction. He was literally being surrounded. If he asked nicely, maybe Fred wouldn't mind tackling someone so he could escape.

"Joe please don't leave," Uncle Joe calls out. The desperation makes Joe pause and turn back to him. 

"Uncle Joe, please," Joe pleads just as desperate, "My head is starting to hurt. I really don’t want to deal with this right now."

"Well you can't run away from this forever," Jodie and the girls reach them. Jodie folds her arms impatiently, "Joe, I know you had it rough a few years ago, but it's time for you to step up and accept your responsibilities as-" 

"Don't say it," Joe growls. 

"Hey why doesn't everyone just lay off him, already?" Fred defends him, "If he's too afraid to time travel anymore, I say just leave him alone."

"He isn't the only one this situation effects, Fred," Samantha steps up next to Jodie, 

"And you could be in grave danger too," Freddi too steps up next to Jodie.

"He'll be in danger again if he uses The Book," it's Sam's turn to step up next to Joe, "That's why we should drop this whole thing."

"No one will be in danger because I hired someone to protect Joe," Uncle Joe speaks up loudly to be heard over everyone. 

"Excuse me?" Joe blinks at his uncle, slack jawed, "Send them back, or... cancel your order or something. I don't want anything to do with this!" 

"She's highly trained, and highly experienced," Uncle Joe explains quickly, taking a nervous step back, "No matter what you decide, you'll be safe with her around."

"Whatever I choose?" Joe laughs bitterly, his eyes starting to burn, "Haven't you been listening? I  _choose_ not to get involved anymore. I  _choose_ not to care about time travel, or magic, or being the Warp Wizard. And I especially  _choose_ not to use that stupid book ever again!" 

Joe's final angry shout echoes through the park and the burning in his eyes suddenly disappears. As he waits for his breathing and heart rate to slow back to normal, he notices that everyone is staring at him. "What?"

No one answers and Sam looks like he's going to faint. It takes Joe a minute to realize a new weight in his hands and when he looks down, he wants to faint too. 

The Book is in his hands.

"Jodie," Joe looks up at his great grand-daughter slowly, "did you do this?"

"I-I-I didn't," Jodie looks in her bag as if checking to see if it's the very same book she brought with her. She looks back up with wide eyes, "I swear I didn't."

"Nobody move, nobody breathe," Sam whispers, "Jodie, maybe if you take The Book from Joe  very slowly and put it away, we can avoid something terrible happening."

"I think it might be too late for that," Fred points at The Book. 

Wispy tendrils of green smoke are already leaking from The Book. Joe has the thought to toss it to Jodie or even Uncle Joe, but for some reason his fingers won't let go of it. He vaguely hears people yelling around him, but the voices seem far away. And as he stares at The Book, green begins to creep around the edges of his vision. The green mist increases and pours out in a sudden torrent.

"She'll find you!" Uncle Joe's cries are distant and quickly fading.

"I can't believe this is happening!" Sam screams. 

"It'll be fine, don't be such a coward!" Fred yells happily.

At the last minute, Joe's head snaps up and he shoots Jodie a dark glare. So much for his normal life.


	4. Chapter 4

"Traitors!" A burly, raggedly dressed man pushes the soldier aside and takes a swing at them with a sledgehammer. "Long live Queen Elizabeth!" 

Joe is tackled from behind by Fred, landing hard on garbage and cobblestone, and getting the wind knocked out of him in the process. But more importantly, the hammer swishes through the air over his head instead of through it. The soldier gets up from the ground looking furious.

"Why you insolent-"

The soldier tackles the man before he can take another swing with his hammer. Fred hoists Joe to his feet. 

"RUN!"

The six of them take off running while the two men fight. The sound is quickly swallowed by the rest of the riot going on around them. It's a situation that is all too familiar to Joe. Warping to some unknown place, running for his life within minutes of getting there; of all the things Joe missed about magic, this was definitely not one of them. They run, but the whole town seems to have gone crazy. Every few feet they have to dodge swings from meat cleavers from butchers, swords and musket blades from soldiers, and even children throwing rotten garbage. 

"I can't believe you got me into this situation, Jodie!" Joe yells, "This is Italy all over again!" 

"Can you please yell at me later!?" Jodie pants, "Besides, you're the one who caused us to warp."

"You tricked me! You obviously did something to The Book!"

"Can you two please save the fighting until we're out of danger!?" Freddi shrieks.

"There's an alleyway up ahead," Fred calls back from the front, "it looks pretty clear."

No one argues with him. They veer off to the right and head in that direction. The violence around them escalates but starts to at least fade behind them. It's a tight fit but all six of them are able to squeeze into the alley. They all double over panting. There's a painful stitch in Joe's side and he clutches at it futilely. He looks around to make sure they didn't lose anyone during their frantic run. Freddi is pale and trembling but in one piece. Samantha is breathing hard with one arm around Sam's shoulders who is leaning heavily against her. Jodie is glaring at the rotten vegetable splattered across her shoes. Fred is the only one not completely out of breath; he looks like he only went for a light jog. Joe also notices that Uncle Joe didn't warp with them- no surprise there. 

Relief washes over Joe that no one has gotten hurt, but it competes with his annoyance that they're in this situation in the first place. Two sharp explosive shots cut through the air followed by shrill screaming. Joe whips his head around the corner, his heart jumping into his throat. Thankfully, they turn out to only be warning shots the soldiers fired in the air to regain order. 

"Okay, I don't know how this happened, but I've had enough of this," Sam declares shrilly. He looks at Joe accusingly, "So can you use  _your_  book and get us out of here please?"

"Hey, _my_ book is still... out of commission." Joe shoots Jodie an accusing glare of his own, "I'm sure Miss Perfect Warper still has The Book in her bag. She  _always_ keeps it with her."

"Ugh, you are such a child," Jodie grumbles, but she reaches into her bag. Her brows furrow in confusion though, "What the-" Instead of The Book, she pulls out a long, gold chain with a golden charm at the end. 

"Cool necklace, but I don't think it's going to help us much," Fred says. 

"It isn't mine," Jodie takes a closer look at it, "but maybe it's a clue."

The charm swings on the chain lazily, catching the light even in this dim alley. It looks like a church, but much fancier than Joe has ever seen. Two rectangular pillars rose up in the front and even in the small charm, the intricate details of windows had been carved in. 

"Hey I think I know that church," Sam holds the charm to his face to inspect it better, "It looks like... Westminster Abbey. One of the most notable religious buildings in England."

 Samantha gasps and lays a hand on Jodie's shoulder, "Elizabeth Woodville took sanctuary there in 1483 after her husband Edward IV died. She also lost two sons during the reign of Richard III!"

Joe blinks and looks at Sam and Samantha. They look like they just solved a really difficult puzzle but he still feels confusion. Freddi, Fred, and Jodie share the same lost expression. 

Fred speaks what Joe's thinking, "Thanks for the history lesson, but what does any of this have to do with anything?"

Samantha sighs impatiently and gives Jodie a little shake, "Jodieeee! The woman in your vision asked you to help her find her sons. Elizabeth Woodville lost her sons. Elizabeth Woodville took sanctuary in the same building on that charm. It has to be more than a coincidence." 

Jodie opens her mouth to say something, still looking confused, but she gasps and her eyes widen in realization. "You don't mean  _Queen_ Elizabeth Woodville, do you? The daughter of Jacquetta of Luxemburg?"

The name means nothing to Joe, but a small shiver goes through him at the mention of that name. He shakes off the uneasy feeling and folds his arms impatiently. "Who is that and what does any of this have to with The Book being missing?"

"I read about her in my Women of Magic history class," Jodie explains sounding strangely nervous, "Your standard history classes glosses over this but Jacquetta had a huge hand in English history. Rumor had it that she was a witch, and her daughter may have been too."

Sam immediately scoffs, "Really? Witches? I don't know what class you're taking but there's no such thing. 15th century Europe was just apprehensive of anything that seemed unusual and called it witchcraft. Just because she was accused doesn't mean they were right."

"Sam, you've seen a magic book that can travel through time. Witches being real cannot possibly be where you draw the line," Fred points out sarcastically. 

"And it could explain why The Book is missing," Jodie says. She lifts her eyes from the charm and looks at Joe, "This could be Elizabeth Woodville's way of getting our attention."

Joe sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. As if invading his dreams wasn't enough, this total stranger is trying to get his attention by stealing his only way home? Why did this always have to happen to him? 

"Joe," Jodie's tone becomes insistent, "It's the only lead we have. What else are we going to do?"

Everyone looks at Joe as if they're waiting for him to make the decision. Somehow, that makes the situation even more annoying. Why is it up to him? It's not like he's their leader or anything. And besides, it was technically Jodie's book they were looking for. But no one is saying anything so Joe reluctantly nods. 

"Alright! Let's go find The Book like the good old times!" Fred cheers and turns to Sam and Samantha, "So how do we get to Westminster Abbey?"

Sam rolls his eyes, "Sorry, but I somehow forgot my map of 1480's London. How careless of me."

"I know it's somewhere around the Thames River, " Samantha says a little more helpfully, "But honestly I don't even know where we are, let alone where Westminster Abbey is."

"You kids looking for sanctuary?" 

The voice startles them enough to make them all jump. At the mouth of the alley, an old man with a wool robe around his shoulders is in the process of passing by driving a cart. He reigns his horse to a stop and waits for them to answer.

This time Jodie answers for them, "Yes sir, we're looking for an um... friend who might be there."

"We all need a friend in Christ in these troubling times," the old man sighs and crosses himself, "Please, allow me to take you. I was on my way there now to deliver some goods."

He gestures to the back of his cart where bundles of blankets and clothing are. Joe figures that this might be the only chance they have so all of them pile into the back. It's a tight fit but kind of cozy. As they move through the town Joe is relieved to see that the riot seems to have died down. There's still an uneasy tension in the air, whispering behind hands, soldiers with their guns ready, but at least there isn't more gunfire or flying garbage. 

An uneasy feeling still stirs in the pit of Joe's stomach though. His vision, the one he had in his bathroom of the guard pointing a spear at them, had come true. When he was younger, Joe had always dreamed of having powers like this. But now that it could be happening, it was more terrifying than cool. Did it mean that every nightmare he had would come true? If he did have a really bad vision, would he have any power to stop it? 

"Hey," Fred nudges his arm, breaking him out of his thoughts, "you okay? You look kind of sick."

Joe looks up and finds Sam and Fred watching him, both with concerned looks on their faces. Behind them, he can also see that Jodie, Freddi, and Samantha are in a little knot as far away as the limited space in the cart would allow. They are having their own whispered conversation which hopefully means that Joe can speak without being over heard. 

"Can I tell you guys something?" Joe motions them closer and lowers his voice, "I... kind of had a vision about this happening yesterday."

"What!?" Sam hisses sharply, "you knew this was going to happen and you let us get caught up in it anyway? We almost got killed back there!"

"I didn't  _let us_ get caught up in anything!" Joe snaps back, "I didn't know it was a vision at the time. I just thought it was a weird dream."

Fred's tone is a lot more excited, "So, does this mean that your Warp Wizard powers are back?"

"I don't- no, of course not. At least I don't think so," Joe shakes his head, "Even when I was studying with Uncle Joe he never mentioned anything about visions or even what being the Warp Wizard means in the first place."

"Well is there anything helpful your visions can tell us?" Sam asks, "like how to get back home safely?"

Fred rolls his eyes and lays a hand on his shoulder, "Sam will you relax? We've gotten out of tricky warps before. It'll be even easier now that Joe might have superpowers." 

"They're not superpowers, Fred," Joe sighs and draws his knees up to his chest, "Sometimes it feels more like a curse."

Fred and Sam share a look again which Joe is really starting to have mixed feelings about. He knows he should be touched that they care, but he hates the thought of his best friends pitying him at best, or thinking he was turning into a whiny brat at worse. 

The rest of the ride they are mostly quiet. Thankfully the ride isn't long and they soon arrive at a large, gothic church. There are just as many windows on the church as they were on the charm. Instead of going towards the large doors at the front, the old man drives the cart to the side of the church where a smaller, simpler door is. The man who gave them the ride gets out first and knocks on the door. It takes a little while but eventually another older man, this one also wearing a wooly robe but who was also wearing a large cross around his neck, answers. 

"These are the six that the dowager queen was expecting, father," the man who gave them the ride gestures to them, "They were where she said they'd be."

"She was expecting us to show up?" Fred whispers, voicing all of their thoughts, "That's creepy."

"Thank you, my brother," the man with the cross grasps his friend's shoulder, "she is below waiting for them now."

"Should we bail?" Sam whispers nervously, "Witch or no witch, this is getting pretty concerning."

"What choice do we have? She might have The Book remember?" Jodie points out.

So, they sit still and wait for the man called father direct them out of the cart and into the church. He introduces himself as Father Anthony, the one of the head priests of Westminster Abbey. 

Inside, he leads the six of them down a series of dingy and dusty hallways. No one speaks, but Sam occasionally lets out a hushed sneeze. The trip seems to last for hours until the priest comes to a set of large doors and pushes them open. They step inside and Joe's breath catches in his throat. Cold moon light filters through iron bars. At the front of the room stands wooden alter and a crucifix. Before the alter a woman is kneeling. There is no water lapping at her knees, but Joe's vision is right in front of him. Hearing them enter the woman straightens and for this first time he is able to see her face. She is taller than Joe thought she would be with curly blonde hair tied back with its own braid and her expression is calm but sad. 

“Thank you, Father Anthony.” She speaks quietly, but doesn’t take her eyes off them, “You may go now.”

The priest bows and backs out of the room. Joe barely hears the door close behind them. His skin feels prickly and there's an anxious knot in his stomach. He looks over and sees that Jodie has gone pale and her eyes are wide in what looks like fear. If Elizabeth Woodville really is a witch, then Jodie is definitely afraid of her. 

"Um, excuse, me ma'am," Sam speaks up timidly, "Would you happen to be Elizabeth Woodville?"

"I am," She says still looking solely at Joe, "And you are the Warp Wizard, correct?"

"Not really," Joe mumbles and winces when Jodie elbows his side, "I mean- ugh," He glares at Jodie, still unwilling to say it, "I'm the one you... called to, sure."

The queen nods, “Yes, I asked the river to send me help in rescuing my sons and the river has lead you to me.”

“More like total invasion of my head, but that's beside the point,” Joe mumbles resisting the urge to roll his eyes, but addressing the queen he says, “Just what is it that you want us to do?”

“Two years ago, my brother-in-law Richard took my youngest son into the tower to join his brother,” She says her voice steady but sorrowful, “My son Edward should have been coronated a month ago and they've postponed it until tomorrow. But I fear that if the lords insist that my brother in law Richard take the throne instead of my son, he won't hesitate to have my sons killed.”

“But I another small hope remaining,” She continues, “My spies have informed me that my oldest daughter's betrothed, Henry Tudor, has formed an army to invade and take back the throne that rightfully belongs to my son. I hope that my brother in law does the right thing and we can prevent more bloodshed than necessary. But if not, I do have people ready to attack.”

Her story is sad and Joe feels bad for her sure, but there's still a glaring issue in all of this.

"Your highness," Joe steps away from Jodie to keep from further interruptions, "I'm sorry about your sons, I really am but I think you 'called' the wrong person for this."

"Joe!" Jodie hisses behind him but he ignores her. 

The queen's expression though doesn't waver. She merely raises an eyebrow, "Have I?"

"Yes, you have," Joe speaks as firmly as he can even as he feels another headache coming on, "You see I haven't touched magic in years. This is my first time, um... travelling in years. I don't think I'm the person to help you. I'm sorry, but I just can't."

There's a silence and Joe honestly expects anger or even tears. But the dowager queen only stands there watching him, a small smile on her face. Joe shifts uneasily and clears his throat. Now he feels crappy for asking but he has to anyway.

"My... friend, had a special book in her bag and it went missing with a charm in its place," he says awkwardly, "the charm led us to you and... we were wondering if you have it."

The queen hums in consideration, "This book wouldn't happen to be midnight blue with stars and moons of silver would it?"

"Y-yes!" Sam exclaims happily, "so you have it? Can we have it back?"

"I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to do that," she answers calmly but all the time she maintains eye contact with Joe, "If we are both thinking of the same object I wouldn't be able to release it to anyone but the Warp Wizard in good conscience." 

"But, it's  _my_ book," Jodie speaks up but makes sure to stay behind Joe, "I'm um... related to the Warp Wizard."

Elizabeth Woodville finally breaks eye contact with Joe and turns back to the alter. As soon as her eyes leave him, Joe feels his breath quicken as if he had been holding his breath the entire time. 

"As it happens, I don't have what you're looking for," the queen finally speaks, "But many gifts are being taken to what should be my son's coronation. If your book has any kind of value, it might be there."

Joe closes his eyes with a heavy breath as his headache worsens. All he wants to do is go home and live his own life but it looks like to even get to The Book, he has no choice-  _they_ have no choice- but to do what the queen wants. Elizabeth Woodville turns back to him with a smile, as if reading his mind. 

"All I ask of you is to attend my son's coronation and make sure he is safe," She says gently, "if they are not, my people plan on storming the tower. If you can please, help them escape during the chaos." 

"Joe," Freddi whispers behind him, "She's just a mother who's looking out for her children. We can't not help."

"Yeah and besides, her kids are the rightful kings, right?" Fred whispers with a greedier tone, "We could get a major reward if we save them."

Joe ignores Fred's input but realizes Freddi does have a point. Queen or no queen, invasion of privacy or not, she really was just a mom trying to save her kids. And it was six of them; half of them could look for the boys and the other half could look for The Book. 

"Alight," He gives in with a sigh and feels his headache ease, "We'll try to find your sons."

Elizabeth Woodville smiles and breaths her own sigh of relief, "Thank you, Warp Wizard. But you shall not be without help. To aide you in your task, I give you this."

From the one of the folds of her gown, she pulls out a clear chess piece. Joe recognizes it as the rook. It glints in the candle light as if it were made of diamond or crystal. No one else moves so he walks up to her and she places it into his palm, folding his fingers over it. The minute it touches his skin, Joe feels a jolt of energy go through him. He lets out a small gasp and the queen nods.

"Yes, it is a very powerful object," she says, "if you are ever lost, it will be the lens to help you find your way. Guard it well and give it to no one. This can be very dangerous if wielded by the wrong person." 

"Uh... okay I guess," He tucks it into his pocket and steps away from her again. 

"The bishop will feed you a good meal and show you where you can sleep for the night," the queen says turning back to the alter, "In the morning, he shall escort you to the Tower of London where my son's coronation should take place. And Warp Wizard?"

Joe cringes at the title, but answers her anyway, "Yeah?"

She smiles at him over her shoulder and a tear slips down her cheek, "Thank you." 

With that, Joe feels the last of his stubborn resolve break down. If he absolutely has to get dragged into this mess again, at least he's getting dragged into helping someone who really needs help. 


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning dawns bright and clear; the sun is already burning the dew off of the ground. Father Anthony wakes them up early and gives them disguises to put on over their street clothes. The guys are given thick knee socks, fancy shirts, and poofy pants. The girls, simple dark dresses, aprons, and lace caps that cover their hair. 

The priest who originally gave them a ride to the abbey once again loads them into his cart and gives them a ride. The countryside that rolls beside them is remarkably beautiful; the fields are a vivid green dotted with yellow and white flowers, the sky above is a bright blue with wisps of clouds. Joe would be able to enjoy the view more if he wasn't so nervous about what might happen. Last night hadn't given him any visions or dreams or whatever that might have been able to help him. All he has is the chess piece that's sitting in his pocket. Joe suppresses a sigh and reaches into his pocket to touch it again. 

"Whoa!" Fred exclaims suddenly, "That's the tower? It's a whole castle!"

The Tower of London is massive, made of white-gray stone and is surrounded by a stone wall. Even with the tall green trees flanking it, it still looks intimidating, to say the least. The whole thing is also surrounded by water. By the dock, several barges and boats move to and from the gates of the castle wall. 

"I'm afraid we'll soon part ways, my children," The priest speaks up as they draw closer, "My alliance is well known so it would be safer if you were not seen with me. I shall give you a letter of introduction though and some fare for the bargeman."

"You're- you're not going with us?" Freddi wrings her hands nervously.

"As I said before, it is safer for you if I do not," The priest pulls the hood of his cloak over his head to hide his face, "My prayers shall be with you though."

"Besides, we'll be fine," Fred throws his arm around his great granddaughter's shoulders, "We got the future Warp Wizard with us."

"Shhh, not so loud!" Sam hisses, "This is 15th century England, where they burn you for worshipping the same religion even slightly differently than everyone else. Do you have any idea what they would do to us if you start talking about wizards and time travel?"

"And I'm not the Warp Wizard," Joe adds with a huff.

The cart slowly pulls to a stop as they reach the barges. Once they all get off, the priest hands Joe a folded letter, a few coins, then does the sign of the cross over him before driving away. One of the bargemen barely gives them a second glance after Joe hands him the money and they step into the barge. The ride is smooth and swift and once again Joe wishes that he could enjoy this adventure more. He wishes he could enjoy warping more. But either they were always in imminent danger or he couldn't hold on to The Book. He bet other time travelers got to just goof around in history. 

But Joe has to put those thoughts out of his mind when the barge stops and everyone piles out. Two guards carrying spears guard the entrance of the tower preventing the crowd of people from just coming in. The others hang back a bit while Joe steps forward with the letter and hands it to one of the guards. He takes a moment to read it before cracking open one of the doors behind him and calling over his shoulder. A short, bald man with a trim mustache rushes forward and bows. 

"Escort these servants in and assign them their duties, Thomas," The guard says handing him the letter, "And be quick. The regent hates an idle castle."

The man named Thomas gives another bow and gestures for Joe and the others to follow him inside. As the door bangs shut behind them, Joe breathes a silent breath of relief. They made it in. Now they were that much closer to finding The Book, finding the princes, and getting back home. That is if the inevitable catastrophe didn't happen first like it always does. Joe cringes at the thought and tries instead to focus on whatever the guy Thomas was talking about. 

"You six are fortunate indeed to serve England in this manner," Thomas was saying, "The young prince's coronation is today and every one must do their part to assure everything goes without a hitch."

"No problem, just show us where the Princes are and we’ll make sure they're ready for their big day," Fred says eagerly.

Thomas laughs and dismisses his suggestion with a wave of his hand, "Absolutely not! No one but the Regent's most trusted guards has access to the princes." 

"But the princes are here though, right?" Samantha presses, "We, um, want to make sure that we don't accidentally disturb them while we're cleaning and stuff."

"There'll be no need to worry about that," Thomas pauses to open a new set of doors at the end of the hallway, "because you six will be kept plenty busy. You'll receive your duties in the Great Hall."

They follow behind him and stop short with a gasp. The Great Hall was definitely more than great. White stone walls and floors. Beautiful tapestries hang on the walls like paintings. Tall, floor to ceiling windows let in the bright sunshine. And people everywhere. Some wearing elegant clothing, others wearing servant clothing like them. Even some soldiers are walking around. 

"Whoa," Joe breathes, "so this is what the inside of a castle looks like."

"Enough gawking!" Thomas snaps his fingers impatiently, "Time for you to get to work!"

He waves over some young servants and maids who rush over to him. From one of the guys, he grabs a stack of archery bows, loose strings, a cloth, and a jar. This pile he shoves into Joe's hands. 

"The court is outside at the archery butts. You are to service their bows and keep their strings oiled. Understand?" 

"Uhhh..."

"And you," Thomas gestures to Sam and a servant stepped forward with a gold pitcher, and a tray of desserts, "you will keep them served and refreshed." 

"O-kay," Sam grunts as he takes the heavy pitcher with one hand and tries balancing the tray with the other hand. 

"And you," Thomas gestures to Fred, "Will retrieve any wayward arrows."

"Pssh, lame," Fred grumbles under his breath. 

"As for you girls," Thomas gestures to the patiently waiting maids and they shove rags, a broom, and a pail of water into Freddi, Jodie, and Samantha's hands respectively, "the Queen's rooms need to be cleaned. There is no queen at present, but the Regent's wife lady Neville makes use of them. Now go at once. Everyone, about your work!"

Apparently, that was Thomas's way of dismissing them all. He goes off in one direction while the other servants scurry off in other random directions. 

"Dude, I am not running after arrows wearing this ridiculous thing," Fred immediately starts grumbling.

"And I may have agreed to wear this outfit as a disguise, but I am not about to actually start cleaning," Jodie adds.

Even though Joe is tempted to remind Jodie that she's the one who brought him back to all this, he doesn't want to be a total jerk so he sighs and tries to look on the bright side. "Look, this is what we needed right? An excuse to be in the castle? And we can cover more ground this way if we're split up." 

"Joe does have a point and finding information will be much easier now that we don't stick out as much as usual," Sam adds too. 

"And Thomas says that Lady Neville is using the Queen's rooms," Samantha says, "Later, when Richard III crowns himself king he also crowns her queen. She's already living in the queen's rooms. It's a safe bet that the coronation gifts Elizabeth was talking about could be in there with her already. This could be our chance to look for The Book." 

"Alright, alright I see your point," Jodie concedes, "Let's just get this over with."

* * *

Outside, the grass is carefully groomed and cut short. Green hedges and white paving stones mark out clear paths for walking. Flower of all colors dots the lawn in random places as well as rose bushes. Joe can't help but think that Prospect Park looked like a dump in comparison. There are more than a few of people milling around, but Joe's best guess is that the "court" Thomas meant is the group of the most elegantly dressed men and women that Joe has ever seen standing in front of large targets. 

"I think that's them over there," Sam nods in that direction.

"Okay, so let's head over there and ask if they've seen The Book or the princes," Fred says, ready to go as usual. 

"Wait, Fred, we're servants remember? I doubt that nobility will actually want to talk to us," Sam stops him. 

"So, what are we supposed to do? We're not actually here for the fun of playing servants, are we?"

"Guys," Joe cuts in before an argument can break out, "We'll just keep an ear out for any useful information. Anything we hear we can do something about later. Now let's get going."

As they get closer, Joe can see there is a lot more than just some archery butts. A decorative cloth canopy gives shade to people who want it. A group of musicians is playing light, upbeat music. And even more servants are walking around waiting on everyone hand and foot. 

Fred gives a low whistle, "We should have gotten disguised as court people."

"Well, we aren't, so let's just get this over with," Sam grunts. He's still struggling to try to balance the wine pitcher and the serving platter. "The sooner I refill glasses, the sooner I can put this heavy thing down."

"And remember, listen for any information about the princes or The Book," Joe reminds them. 

Fred and Sam nod and the three of them split up to do their jobs. Joe shifts the awkward bundle in his hands and looks for a place to set up. It doesn’t look like there's any specific place he has to be so he settles for a spot a near the archers.

"Okay, same plan I use to find out what mom and dad are getting me for my birthday or Christmas," He mutters to himself, "Stay close enough to hear them talking but look busy so it doesn't look like I'm eavesdropping. Simple."

It should be, especially since in Joe's limited experience rich people tend to ignore the help. But as soon as he starts to mess around with the equipment that Thomas gave him, he realizes that he has no idea what he's doing. 

"Man, why is this so... hard?" Joe fumbles with the sleek string, "It's a string and a piece of wood. It shouldn't be this difficult!"

He grips the string between his fingers and tries to thread it through one of the holes at the top of the bow, but it slips out of his grasp. He presses his lips together in determination and tries again, only to have the bow slip out of his grasp this time. All thought of eavesdropping goes completely out of his mind as he struggles with the stupid bow and string. 

"Boy! BOY! BOOOY!"

"Huh!?" Joe snaps his head his up and sees a very angry, very large man with a double chin glaring at him. Going by the jewels covering his jacket and the large gold chain around his neck, Joe can guess that the man is probably a lord or something. Remembering his cover, Joe quickly jumps up and goes to him, "Y-yes sir?"

"My bow needs to be re-stringed," the man snarls, "This shoddy workmanship is hindering my abilities as a marksman."

"It's poor sport to blame your bow for your lack of skills, my lord," one of the women snickers.

The man turns red with rage and shoves his bow into Joe's hands. This bow is heavier than the other bows he was given, longer and studded with jewels. The string looks like it had snapped in half. Joe starts stammering, trying to think of any reason, any excuse not to do it since he doesn’t think he can. And he doesn’t want to see what happens if he makes this guy even madder. 

"W-wouldn't you just prefer another bow?" He tries fumbling with the string and bow, "I can run up to the palace to get you one. Or maybe one of your friends can loan you one." 

"Cease your chatter boy!" The lord finally snaps, "And restring my bow at once!"

Joe flinches back as the lord's spittle sprays his face, "Okay! Okay! I'm doing it!"

The other lords and ladies take their turns shooting arrows at the targets while Joe struggles to knot a fresh sting onto the bow. Some of the court members start to snicker and laugh behind their hands.  The lord's face begins to get redder and his scowl deepens. Joe can feel the tips of his ears burning with embarrassment. This feels too much like the old days when he struggled over some stupid magic trick that always failed. The cards would slip out of his hands or the ball would fall out of his sleeve before he was ready. And there was always someone laughing at him. 

Joe sucks in a breath feeling frustration grow with panic and then a bit of relief when he's able to knot one side of the bow.

"Quickly boy," the lord growls.

Sweat beads on his forehead as he pulls the string taut and struggles to knot it at the other end. As if it isn’t bad enough that he's stuck here, he also had to be put on the spot and growled at by some big, impatient creep. The archery game continues while the lord gets more impatient. Joe knows without having to be told that if the lord's turn came and he didn't have a bow, Joe would be in a lot of trouble. 

But then the silk finally knots in the second hole and Joe's heartbeat returns to normal. 

"Finally!" The lord snatches it from Joe's hands, "laggard fool."

A man next to the lord takes a shot and the arrow hits one of the inner rings. Joe's lord smirks loads his own arrow and draws back the string. 

THWIP!

The string snaps and the arrow tumbles to the ground almost in slow motion. Joe's heart nearly stops at the look of pure rage the lord turns on him with. The laughter of court almost sounds distant. Just as Joe tries to take a step back, the lord's arm shoots out and grabs Joe by the collar and lifts him off his feet. Joe kicks and struggles in his grip but he can't get himself free. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Fred start towards them and Sam staring in terror. 

"You impudent, lazy sod!" The lord screams and draws back his hand. Joe closes his eyes and waits for the blow that might just knock him back to his own time.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing chores," Jodie grumbles. She half-heartedly drags the broom across the fireplace, trying to sweep the ashes back inside. A cloud of ash rises in her face making her cough. "This is ridiculous!"

"Jodie, not so loud," Samantha warns in a whisper.

The three of them aren't alone in the Queen's rooms. Jodie looks over at the two middle-aged maids also cleaning the rooms. She sends them annoyed look that they don't see since they're so busy chatting to each other that they're ignoring the three of them. But ignoring them or not, the three of them can't very well snoop around with them in the room which means Jodie has to actually clean. And Jodie doesn't clean.

"The queen couldn't disguise us as ladies in waiting or something?" She gripes. 

"How could she when she's in hiding herself?" Freddi points out, "It must have been a big risk for her to even send us in as servants."

Jodie presses her lips together but can't think of another retort so she keeps sweeping. So much ash and dust are drifting up into her face that she's going to have to spend hours in her home spa in order to get her pores clean. But if it means keeping the integrity of the space-time continuum safe then she supposes that it's worth it. 

There's a soft knock at the door and a male servant pokes his head into the room carrying a tray with a pitcher and a plate of fruit on it. 

"For Lady Neville?" He inquires looking around.

"Isn't she outside with the rest of the court?" Samantha suggests.

"Her ladyship is in the back room resting," One of the maids corrects Samantha but addresses the servant, "She was feeling... ill."

"I can take it to her," Jodie quickly volunteers. 

She walks over and takes the tray from the servant before one of the other maids can do it. If Lady Neville was asleep, Jodie could quietly sneak in and look for The Book or any information on the boys without anyone knowing. And if she was awake, well, Jodie always thought of herself as a somewhat persuasive person. Maybe she could just convince Lady Neville to help her. She reaches the door to the inner room but before she can so much as touch the handle, the door swings open and Jodie comes face to face with another maid. This maid can't be any older than Jodie, but she gives Jodie such a harsh, blue-eyed stare that she takes a half step back. Jodie smiles though and tries to regain her composure. 

"Um, hi," Jodie says, "I'm just here to drop off something for the- Lady Neville. So, if you could just let me-"

"No one is allowed to see the lady," The maid says quietly and grabs the tray from Jodie. 

"But I-"

"No exceptions." 

With that, the maid goes into the room and closes the door in Jodie's face. She stands there for a moment, stunned silent. She then hears a cackle and whirls around angrily to see the two middle-aged women laughing at what they just witnessed. Samantha and Freddi just look confused. 

"What the heck was that about?" Samantha asks, "She was pretty rude."

"That's the  _other_ new maid," the older maid sniffs disdainfully, "stuck up little mistress that one is. Thinks that only she's good enough to be around Lady Neville."

"She definitely acts like it," Jodie mutters under her breath, "I hate stuck up girls."

Even though she's dealt with her fair share of them though, there's something about that girl in particular that sends a shudder down Jodie's spine. There's just something about her that Jodie can't put her finger on. Unsettling, like looking at a ghost. 

The inner door opens, and the maid steps out the room. This time she doesn't so much as glance at anyone. She goes to the other side of the room and begins arranging re-arranging the flowers in their vases. 

"Prissy little mistress," one of the older maids say in a loud whisper and the other maid laughs. 

The maid they're making fun of doesn't even look up. Jodie shudders again and turns back to Samantha and Freddi. "Is it just me or is that girl..."

"Strange?" Freddi suggests.

"Unusual?" Samantha shrugs.

"I was going to say totally creepy," Jodie lets out an irritated breath. She goes to flip her hair, but it's caught up in the ridiculous lace cap. "Okay, new plan, as soon as little miss creepy leaves the room we sneak into that back room."

Samantha nods but Freddi glances behind Jodie and pales, "Um... I don't think she's going anywhere. Look."

Jodie looks and wishes she hadn't. The blue-eyed maid is staring at them. Hard. And she doesn't look too happy to see them. 

"Maybe we should get back to work," Freddi whispers, "She could just be really serious about her job. And we're just standing here."

"Fine," Jodie groans and shoots her broom a baleful look, "I just hope that Joe and the guys are doing better than we are." 

* * *

"Lord Weston, stop this at once!" 

A voice cuts through the pounding in Joe's ears and he cracks one eye open. Standing behind the lord is a girl who couldn't be any older than Joe, but she was dressed like the other women of the court. A servant stands behind her, keeping the sun off her pale skin with a fancy lace parasol. 

The lord holding Joe growls in annoyance but slowly sets him down. Lord Weston gives the girl a dirty look and while Joe feels scared that she'll be on the receiving end of his wrath, she isn't backing down. 

"A lady should hold her tongue in the presence of a gentleman," He snarls. 

"Gentleman?" The girl widens her eyes and pretends to look around, "I see no  _gentle_ man here sir. Just a brute abusing a servant boy." 

Lord Weston's face goes red as the court snickers. He looks around him gauging the reactions of everyone and finally steps away from Joe. 

"My apologies if I distressed you, my lady," He grumbles.

"Apologies accepted, my lord," the girl says and then snaps her fingers in the face of the servant holding the parasol, "Boy, you repair Lord Weston's bow and you," she crocks a finger at Joe, "Come here."

"Uh.., y-yeah sure."

The servant bows to the girl and gives Joe the parasol, taking up his strings and rags in exchange. The parasol is surprisingly heavy. Joe has to grip it with both hands as he goes to stand next to the girl. 

"Um... tha-"

The girl holds up her hand, cutting him off. She's still looking at Lord Weston. In the short amount of time, the servant already manages to re-string the lord's bow. Lord Weston tests the new string before loading a new arrow onto it and shooting it. It sails perfectly through the air and nearly hits the bullseye. 

"Satisfied?" The girl asks. 

Lord Weston barely looks at her and dismisses her with a wave of his hand. The girl mumbles something less than lady-like under her breath and walks away, motioning Joe to follow her. She makes her way over to a stone bench, a little away from the court but close enough to watch them. Joe takes a look around and sees Fred and Sam watching him. He gives them a quick a thumb's up, showing them he's okay, before turning his attention back to the girl. 

"Um, thank you for saving me back there," Joe says rubbing the back of his neck, "I don't know what that guy's problem is. My name's Joe by the way."

The girl lifts an eyebrow and glances at him, "A servant speaking to a lady? That's a bit unusual."

Joe shrugs and thinks of all the other ladies and men who just stood around, waiting for Lord Weston to beat him. "Hey, it's pretty unusual that a lady saves a servant. But you did."

The girl giggles, smirks up at Joe, and says the absolute last thing he's expecting her to say. 

"You three are doing a terrible job at blending in."

Joe's smile falls and his mouth falls open, "W-what?"

"You three- Are doing a- Terrible job- at blending in," the girl says slower, still smirking like the whole situation is amusing for her. 

Joe stammers caught completely off guard. He remembers what Sam said earlier about England burning people for being different. The last thing he wants to do is stand out. "We're... just from out of town. That's all. And, you know... it's our first time working for... royalty."

"Is that so? Where exactly are you from?"

"Um... Out of... town...?"

"Hmm..." The girl rolls her head on her shoulders until she was looking directly at Joe, "May I guess?"

Joe nods, feeling himself relax. The first or second place she guesses Joe will just tell her she's right and maybe she'll drop the whole thing. 

"I think," Her small smirk stretches into a teasing grin, "21st century America... east coast perhaps?"

Joe staggers back, nearly dropping the parasol on her. The ground feels like it's shifting under his feet. The shock is just that big. Never before during a warp has anyone made out that he's from another time without him telling them. And even then, people usually dismiss them as crazy. What was going to happen now? Would he be burned at the stake or thrown into the looney bin?  The dark-haired girl's grin fades and she holds her hands up in a "calm down" motion. 

"Whoa there, Joe," she soothes, "Calm down. I'm not going to rat you out. Now stop spazzing before you draw attention to us." 

Joe swallows and takes a deep breath, but he's able to straighten back up and act normal. "How... did you know?"

The girl's smile returns and she goes back to watching the archery game. "One- your accent. Not very 15th century English if you ask me. Two-" She points over towards Sam, who's standing under the canopy, re-filling drinks, "your friend there, the squirrely looking one with messy hair. The kind of glasses he's wearing won't be invented until the 18th century. And three-" this time she points to Fred, still fetching arrows and not looking happy about it, "the big guy over there? The one who doesn't look too happy about gathering arrows? Well no matter what a servant really thinks, they're careful to not to go around glaring and mumbling to themselves." 

Joe whistles impressed. Whoever this girl is, she's really smart. But then, does that mean that they're really that bad blending in, or that she's been watching them? 

"Are you a time traveler too?" He asks, "That's so cool! I've never met another time traveler before! Well, my great-granddaughter and her friends are but they're kind of annoying. And my uncle-"

"Has anyone told you that you talk a lot?" The girl interrupts him with a laugh. 

Joe snaps his mouth shut and feels his neck flush. The girl plays with a strand of her dark hair, twirling it around her finger. There's something about her that Joe can't put his finger on. Something mysterious. Suddenly something clicks. The last thing Uncle Joe said to him before they warped. That he hired someone to protect him and that she'd find him. And she did already save his life before. Still, even he knows that he has to be careful. According to Jodie, there also might be someone else trying to get him. 

"You didn't answer my question," he says after a while, "are you a time traveler too?"

The girl shrugs, "I guess you can say that. So, what brings you here? Six centuries and a half a globe is a long way to travel just to play servants. You wouldn't happen to be..." She flicks her dark eyes at him and smirks, "…. looking for something, are you? Or someone? Two little, lost princes perhaps?"

Again, Joe's jaw drops. If this wasn't the absolute last time he was going to warp, he would definitely make a note to warp with her in the future. Too bad he's never going to warp again. Where was she when he was ten?

"How did you know-" 

"That you're here to solve one of the biggest mysteries in history?" She rolls her eyes at him, "Really? Three out of place servants arrive the day that one of the princes are supposed to be coronated? It's no secret that Woodville has friends out there and Richard has enemies. You're not very good at this are you?" 

Joe frowns, the good feelings he has towards her is fast evaporating, "You don’t have to rub it in." 

"Oh, don't be like that," she laughs, sounding not in the least bit sorry, "your pathetic nature is endearing. I might be inclined to help you." 

"Um, thanks... I think," Joe mumbles the last part under his breath. It's hard to get a read on this girl. One minute she's his savior, the next she makes fun of him and calls him pathetic. 

"But now, I believe our time is up." 

The girl suddenly stands and Joe notices that the rest of the court is leaving, without the servants of course. Fred and Sam start to come towards them, but the girl is already walking away.

"We'll have to meet tomorrow," She glances at him over her shoulder, "granted you're still around that is."

"Wait!" Joe calls after her, "You never told me your name!"

"I've been telling people it's Sarra," she calls back, "But you can call me San-Li."

* * *

"Did you hear?" One of the middle-aged maids says to her friend, "the princes supposedly don't feel well today so they're postponing the coronation again. Now it's supposed to happen tomorrow."

"It's just like last time," her friend responds, "makes you wonder if the Regent will ever let Prince Edward take the throne." 

"If either one of those poor boys is still alive that is."

Jodie's head goes up and she shoots a look of panic at Samantha and Freddi. They look back at her echoing what she's feeling. When the news gets back to Elizabeth Woodville, she was going to send someone in after her sons if they didn't find them first. Unfortunately, Jodie can't even talk to Samantha or Freddi about it. The two middle-aged maids wouldn't care about them talking, but the younger, creepy maid had been watching them this entire time. Every time Jodie would even so much as look towards the back room, that girl practically hovered behind her, burning holes in her back. 

There's a small cough and Jodie looks up to see Freddi motion towards the back room. Jodie turns her head just in time to see the creepy little maid disappear into the back room. 

"Finally!" Jodie huffs and goes over to Freddi and Samantha, "This is torture. Who the heck is she?"

"Whoever she is, she gives me the chills," Samantha shudders.

"But more importantly, Richard postponed the coronation again," Freddi says, "which means we're running out of time to find the princes. Who knows if they'll ever be found if we're not the ones who find them." 

"I'm trying, but that girl is... ugh!" Jodie wants to pull her hair in frustration, "what the heck did we do to make her look at us like that?"

"Well, there could be one reason..." Samantha starts. 

The inner door opens again though and a woman steps out. Pale and tired-looking with light brown hair, but wearing a beautiful dress, Jodie guesses that this is probably Lady Neville. The creepy maid comes out of the room too, going back to what she was doing before. Without so much as looking at them, Lady Neville leaves the room just as there's the sound of more footsteps in the hallway.

"Sounds like the rest of the court is back," the middle-aged maids start packing up their cleaning supplies, "better get to cleaning the other rooms before they claim we're idling."

They leave the room leaving Jodie, Freddi, and Samantha behind. Plus, the creepy maid. Jodie frowns at her back growing more and more annoyed. Who was this maid to tell her where she could and couldn't go? As far as Jodie could remember, that Thomas guy didn't say that she had a supervisor. And since Lady Neville wasn't in the room anymore, the maid had no reason to stop her from going in. 

"So... should we leave too?" Freddi asks. 

"Sure," Jodie nods at her, "but first, maybe we should clean that back room. Now that the queen isn't resting anymore."

"Jodie..." Samantha warns looking pointedly over behind Jodie. 

"What?" Jodie dismisses her concern, "We're maids remember? Aren't we supposed to be cleaning?"

"Jodie..." Now Freddi starts to shrink back.

"I'll be fast," Jodie starts to the back room, "You two are free to join me."

"Jodie!"

"What?"

The maid steps in front of her so quickly that Jodie gives an exclamation of surprise and stumbles back. The maid's eyes are steel now, her expression nothing but hostile.

"What is your problem!?" Jodie snaps. 

"You called her the queen," she says in a low, sharp voice, "Anne Neville is only a lady. Why did you call her the queen?"

"I- I," Jodie feels herself turning red now, embarrassed to be caught in a mistake, "My tongue just slipped. I meant lady."

"I've never seen any of you three before," the girl's gaze goes to Freddi, and Samantha, behind her, "And you've been anxious to get into that room. Who are you? What do you want?"

"Just... doing my job," Jodie blusters. 

She straightens to her full height, refusing to be intimidated but her heart won't stop pounding. She notices for the first time several tendrils of blonde hair poking out from under the girl's lace cape. 

"You three shouldn't be here-" the girl flicks her steely blue eyes back at Jodie, "I suggest you leave. Now."

She stares Jodie down until Jodie can feel her resolve falter. She had to hand it to her, for a girl who looked like she could disappear into a crowd, this girl had the meanest stare Jodie ever saw. And she realizes with a shock that this girl is part of one of her visions. 

"Look," Jodie relents, "You're right, we're not from around here. But we're not here to cause trouble. Honest."

"If you're here looking for the princes, you are causing trouble," the girl says harshly. 

"We're not, we swear," Freddi speaks up timidly, but she steps up next to Jodie, "We're just trying to help a mother find her children."

"And we’re not leaving until we make sure they're safe," Samantha says more firmly.

The three of them stand side by side in front of the girl. She takes in all three of them, Jodie realizes that she can't be any bigger than Freddi. 

"I might be able to help you," she finally speaks up, "but not now, and not here. If you don't leave now you'll get us all in trouble. Find me tomorrow though, and I'll see what I can do."

Jodie exchanges another look with Freddi and Samantha. They have no idea who this girl is or if they can trust her. But if The Book wasn't in that back room then there were a hundred places in the castle that it could be. If it was even here yet considering the coronation kept getting pushed back. And if they didn't find the Princes soon, they could have a problem on their hands. 

"Alright deal," Jodie nods and holds out her hand, "By the way, you never told us your name."

The girl raises an eyebrow at that as if it wasn't the most reasonable question in the world. 

"That's nothing you need to concern yourself with," The maid says before turning on her heel and walking out of the room. 

* * *

Without electricity, the castle gets surprisingly dark. And chilly. After being sent around the castle lighting fireplaces and candles to give everyone light, Joe, Sam, and Fred are finally able to sneak away and go looking for the girls. 

"Does this look like a sunburn to you?" Sam asks shoving his forearm in Joe's face, "Because I think my skin is peeling."

"I think you'll live," Joe pushes it down again. "Did any of you guys hear anything useful?"

"All I could hear was the sound of the sun giving me skin cancer," Sam grumbles, still examining his arms, "If I had known we would be outside all day I would have packed sunscreen. Heck, if I knew we were going to warp, I would have stayed home."

"What I want to know is who that girl Joe was flirting with while we were out there," Fred smirks, elbowing Joe in the arm. 

"I- I wasn't flirting with anyone!" Joe can feel his face turning red though, "She just saved me from that jerk and let me switch jobs. That's it!"

"Well, you two seemed pretty cozy on the bench to me," Sam chuckles, "Did she at least tell you anything helpful?"

"Uh... yes and no. But let's find the girls first. I want to ask Jodie something."

They spend more time wandering around almost aimless until they finally meet the girls on the stairwell. They move into an unused library and compare information. Jodie goes first telling them about the creepy maid who mostly just glared at them, but at least they heard from the other maids that the princes might be alive somewhere. And that the coronation is once again being pushed back to tomorrow. 

"I checked the queen's- er- Lady Neville's room but the Book wasn't there," Jodie sighs, "There's probably another room where they're keeping the coronation gifts. Our best bet might be finding the princes and hope they have it or know where it is. That girl said she might be able to help us find them but..."

"She's not the friendliest person we've ever met," Samantha finishes.

"Speaking of which, Joe got pretty friendly with someone," Fred snickers.

The girls all turn to him in confusion and Joe shoots Fred a glare before sighing and telling them what happened with San-Li and Lord Weston. He has to endure the inevitable teasing before he gets to the part where she accurately guessed that they're time travelers. 

"Y-you didn't tell us that," Sam suddenly looks nervous, "Is she a time traveler too?"

"I think so," Joe shrugs, "She acts so... mysterious. I can't tell if she wants to really help us or not." He turns to his great-granddaughter, "Jodie, did Uncle Joe happen to tell you anything about who he hired to... protect me. Or who might be after me?"

Jodie shook her head, "Sorry, no. I don't have a clue."

"Well this chick already saved Joe's butt once," Fred smirks, showing exactly what he thinks of that, "And she knew that Joe was from the future. Think that has to do with anything?" 

 "She definitely sounds friendlier than our girl was," Samantha mutters. 

"And San-Li did offer to help us," Joe says, "Okay then, tomorrow we'll find San-Li and avoid the other girl. Hopefully, by tomorrow we can save the princes, find The Book, and go home."

The others nod in agreement and Joe feels himself relax a little. If everything goes right and if San-Li can really help them, they could very well be home by this time tomorrow.    



	6. Chapter 6

* * *

_Torches along the wall light_ _the rough stone hallways. Dry_ _, brown_ _petals that had once been white_ _carpet the floor. Joe looks around for his friends or Jodie or anybody but sees no one. He opens his mouth to call_ _for them but no sound comes out_ _. He begins to walk. He feels like he's looking for something but he isn't sure what. The hallway stretches before him, the torches stretch and throw his shadow against the walls. A fork in the hallway_ _looms_ _ahead. Without really thinking about it, Joe turns right. A faceless guard swings his sword down before Joe even has a chance to scream._  

 _Torches along the wall light_ _the rough stone hallways. Dry petals that had once been white but were mostly brown carpet the floor._ _Joe_ _begins to walk. He feels like he's looking for something but he isn't sure what. The hallway stretches before him, the torches stretch and throw his shadow against the walls. A fork in the hallway_ _looms_ _ahead._ _Joe hesitates before going left. The hallway continues_ _for_ _a while_ _before branching in two directions again. Joe takes another left and breathes a sigh of relief. The next fork, Joe takes a left and_ _a guard_ _cut_ _s him_ _down before he can scream._  

 _The hallway stretches before him, the torches stretch and throw his shadow against the walls. A fork in the hallway_ _looms_ _ahead._ _Joe hesitates before going left. The hallway continues_ _for a while_ _before branching in two directions again. Joe takes another left and breathes a sigh of relief. The next fork, Joe takes a_ _right_ _._ _The next split is a_ _three-way_ _split; left, right and straight. Joe thinks for a moment and then goes right. An explosion knocks him off his feet and everything goes dark._  

 _The hallway stretches before him, the torches stretch and throw his shadow against the walls. A fork in the hallway_ _looms_ _ahead._ _Joe hesitates before going left. The hallway continues_ _for a while_ _before branching in two directions again. Joe takes another left and breathes a sigh of relief. The next fork, Joe takes a_ _right_ _._ _The next split is a_ _three-way_ _split; left, right and straight. Joe thinks for a moment and then goes_ _left. Two men are crossing swords in an intense fight. Before Joe can back away, their swords swing at him._  

 _T_ _he torches stretch and throw his shadow against the walls. A fork in the hallway_ _looms_ _ahead._ _Joe hesitates before going left. The hallway continues again before branching in two directions again. Joe takes another left and breathes a sigh of relief. The next fork, Joe takes a_ _right_ _._ _The next split is a_ _three-way_ _split; left, right and straight. Joe thinks for a moment and then goes_ _straight. At the next fork, Joe crosses his fingers and goes right. The hallway opens into a large, mostly bare room. At the far side of the room is a door and against one of the halls hangs a tapestry._  

 _This part feels familiar. Joe starts to reach for the tapestry, but something stronger pulls at him. Something draws_ _him to the door. Hoping that there isn't another guard or explosion waiting for him he takes a breath and walks through it._  

 _White light_ _blinds him for a minute. When his eyes are finally able to adjust, Joe finds himself on a roof. A modern, concrete roof. The city below looks a lot like Brooklyn but there's something different about it._ _He leans over the railing, trying to pinpoint exactly why_ _it's_ _different._ _Suddenly, he realizes that there's someone next to him. He turns but can’t see her face- she's_ _blurry like_ _an_ _unfocused picture. But he can see that she's a girl his age, with skin the color of chocolate and_ _long_ _wavy brown hair that falls down her back. Joe can't even see her face but_ _a sense of total calm washes over him._ _Without knowing why he reaches for her and tries to call her name._  

 _"Jo-"_  

"Joe? Joe! Wake up!"  

Joe starts awake and finds himself staring into Sam's very annoyed face. He groans and pushes him away so he can sit up. 

"What's going on?" Joe yawns, "What's happening?" 

Staying the night during a warp was always disorienting. Having weird dreams, even weirder than normal, doesn't help the situation. So, it takes him a moment to remember that the three of them are in the servants' quarters in the castle- guys in one room, girls in another. The quarters are dank, musty, and have nothing but cots with rough blankets to sleep on. Joe's eyes struggle to focus in the dim candlelight (no windows) and he sees that everyone is starting to get out of bed and getting dressed. Except for Fred of course, who's still snoring in the cot next to him.  

"The guards just came down and told us all to get up," Sam answers Joe's question. He rubs his eyes looking sleepy and annoyed, "We have to start another day of grueling labor for the upper class. So, can we please find that girl you met, find The Book and the princes, and get out of here?" 

"Okay, okay," Joe stands up, "Now stop complaining and help me get Fred up."  

It takes a lot of shaking but eventually they manage to get Fred awake. Once they are up and dressed, and after a quick breakfast of a bread roll and an apple, they are all ordered up the stairs and into the main part of the castle for morning cleaning.  

"Man, this place is huge," Fred says as they follow the crowd through the halls, "I'd hate to get lost here." 

"People probably have," Sam points out nervously, "There was a lot of turmoil in the 15th century England. Changes of power, family loyalty, political upheaval on a bunch of levels. People probably got murdered in this castle for being on the wrong side." 

Joe shudders thinking about his dream. Technically speaking, if what Sam said about Richard becoming king instead of Elizabeth Woodville's sons was true, then they could definitely be considered on the wrong side. Would someone really kill them just for trying to save a poor woman's sons? But then he spots a familiar face a hallway over and their chances of surviving looks better. San-Li isn't quite alone, but she is trailing behind a couple of ladies, not seeming too interested in the conversation they were having.  

"I think I see our ticket out of here," He points her out to Fred and Sam in excitement, "I'll talk to her alone while you guys meet up with the girls. Maybe we can be back home before lunch."  

"Sounds good to me," Sam agrees "the sooner we're out of here the better." 

"Seconded, these people don't even tip," Fred grumbles.  

Joe makes his way through the crowd to get to her. He almost loses her as she rounds the corner and starts up the stairs. He quickly reaches out to catch her sleeve. "Hey wait-" 

"Who the hell- " She snatches her arm away and rounds on him with a glare. Her sneer turns into a smirk though when she recognizes him, "Oh, It's you." 

"Yeah me," Joe gives her a nervous smile, "You um, told me to come find you remember?" 

"That I did. Come on then." 

She brushes past him and leads him back down the stairs and out of earshot of others. They get a couple of curious glances but no one tries to stop them. San-Li doesn't even seem to notice. She walks like she belongs there. Joe hates to admit it, but he kind of envies how sure of herself San-Li seems. They're the same age but she's completely comfortable blending into this different time. He wants to ask her a million questions but he knows that they don’t have time to waste.  

 "So look, my friends and I don't have much time before, um... stuff happens and we could really use your help-" 

"Ah, ah, ah," San-Li holds up a finger to interrupt him. She's smiling but there's something Joe can't quite read in her eyes, "Who says you're the only one who gets to ask for favors? I could use some help myself." 

She starts playing with a strand of her hair again, twisting the inky locks around her finger. Joe notices that her hands are loaded with rings. Whenever he, Sam and Fred warped they were lucky not to end up in jail. The last time they had handled treasure during a warp, they almost ended up mummified by a crazy priest. 

 "You don't look like you need any help to me," He chuckles. 

San-Li's hand goes still for a moment and Joe swears he sees her eye twitch, "You calling me a liar?" 

Joe's smile drops like a rock, "N-no, that's not what I-" 

"Relax," San-Li quickly cuts him off, smirking again, "I'm joking. Don't have an aneurysm."  

She starts to say something else, but when she glances over his shoulder, her face goes even paler and she swears under her breath, "What is she doing here?" 

"She?" Joe frowns in confusion and looks behind him. They're people scattered everywhere, but the only person even looking their way is a servant girl. "Who are you-" 

He turns back toward her but she's already heading up the stairs. "Hey, wait a minute!" He rushes to catch up with her and catches her hand. 

"Quit it with the grabbing," San-Li hisses, snatching her hand back, "You want to get us both in trouble? Now I gotta get to mass and you gotta get to... servant stuff." 

"But you said you were going to help us," Joe insists starting to get irritated.  

"I will, I will, I just-" She gives another look around her and leans closer for a minute, dropping her voice, "I can't now, but later okay? Later." 

"What does later mean?" Joe asks.  

San-Li shakes her head though and rushes up the stairs. Joe releases a sigh of frustration and runs his hands over his face. He wonders if they can rely on her after all. For someone who seems like an expert, she's starting to act as unreliable as his Uncle Joe.  

"Joe!" 

He looks behind him to see his friends and the girls waiting for him. He hurries back down the stairs to join them.  

"Your girlfriend ran away from you pretty fast," Fred teases as soon as he reaches them, "You two break up already?" 

Sam looks less amused though and more worried, "She didn't look like she gave you the location of the Princes. What happened?" 

"I don't know! One minute we're talking and she says she needs help too. But then freaks out and leaves! Tells me to find her later like I'm actually a servant." 

"Speaking of which,  _Joe_ ," Jodie gives him a look, "Today is the second day I've had to wear this ridiculous thing and I am  _not happy_."  

"That Thomas guy says that we have to help set up the dining room for the court's breakfast," Freddi explains, "Then there's a whole day of setting up for the coronation. He plans on keeping us pretty busy today. It's got Jodie kind of...irate." 

"Maybe if everyone is busy enough we can sneak around without being noticed," Fred suggests.  

"I guess you're right, but we should head to the dining room before we do get in trouble," Joe notices a couple of men giving them looks.  

They hurry with the last of the straggling servants into a large room the size of a cafeteria. There is one long table surrounded by smaller wooden tables. Short columns are spaced around the room and were being decorated with fresh flowers in vases. The six of them are given mops, rags, buckets of water, and silverware and put to work. It's no wonder that they need an army of servants. The dining hall is big enough to feed one. An army of wealthy people.  

"Joe, either that girl of yours helps us find the princes or we find The Book on our own, " Jodie grumbles as they set out the tableware, "Because if I have to spend another day waiting hand and foot on these people-" 

Joe rolls his eyes, "Geez Jodie, it's almost as if you  _don't_ think that warping to a random time where anything can happen is fun. Imagine that." 

Jodie shoots him a glare but Sam speaks up before she can retaliate. 

"You two can argue later," he snaps at them, "We're running out of time. Who knows when Elizabeth Woodville's allies are going to storm the castle?" 

Joe struggles not to lose his cool completely. It's not like any of this is that fun for him either. Things almost seemed easier when they were ten. Unfortunately for them, San-Li, as flaky as she's acting, might be the best chance that they have. Maybe Joe could catch her eye and they could sneak into the hallway. 

The doors of the dining room open and Joe tenses for a moment, but it's only Thomas coming into the room. He claps his hands loudly to get everyone's attention. 

"I need everyone's attention if you please!" He shouts, "While the court dines everything must be made ready for the coronation. Be on your tasks and be impeccable! I will tolerate no sloppiness from any of you! Now for your assignments..." 

He pauses and takes a look at a leather-bound book in his hands. He points at people at random and starts assigning them tasks. Polishing windows, sweeping fireplaces, lighting fireplaces, replace sheets, polishing crowns. The list goes on and on. It isn’t until Thomas finishes the list that Joe realizes that he's the only one of their group that's supposed to stay in the dining room. Already the others are giving him slightly panicky looks.  

"Relax guys," He says as everyone else starts filing out of the room, "We'll just do what Fred says. Split up and look for the princes and/or The Book. I'm sure we can find each other later." 

That seems to be the right thing to say because they all visibly relax. Well, if there was one thing Uncle Joe actually taught him it was how to win over a crowd.  

* * *

The room is packed with courtiers and nobles wearing their most splendid clothes. Gold fabric, silver jewelry, and glittering gems fill the room. Richard III and Anne Neville sit side by side on matching thrones, flanked on both sides by towering gold candelabras. The lit candles make the couple glow as the priest places ornate crowns on their heads. At the very back of the room, behind a line of narrow, velvet curtains, waiting with the rest of the servants stand Sam and Samantha. The two of them were chosen at random with a slew of other servants to accompany the court to Westminster church for the coronation. Barges are waiting outside to take them back to the palace afterward.  

"This is amazing," Sam whispers to Samantha, "In all the times I've warped, I've never actually witnessed a coronation before." 

"How have you not?" Samantha whispers back, "This is my seventh one. You should have seen the coronation of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon in 1509. It was incredible!" 

"Yeah right. Like Joe or Fred are interested in time travel for the sake of actually witnessing history. Back when we did warp that is."  

Samantha nods and goes quiet for a moment before looking at him and asking, "Do you miss it? Even just a little?" 

The question takes Sam a little by surprise. Does he miss warping to random times, being in constant danger, and not knowing when or if they'll get home in one piece? On the other hand, he couldn't deny that they had some great adventures. And it was really something to see history coming to life before your eyes. 

"Honestly, I don't know," He answers quietly, "It was always crazy and dangerous and reckless. If Joe had actually learned to use The Book maybe things would have gone smoother. But it wasn't all bad. We did have some incredible times." 

Samantha pats him on the shoulder in silent sympathy. They watch the coronation together in silence for a while. Sam's thoughts are half on the event before him and half on their situation. He loves history. Reading books, watching documentaries, going to museums. If only witnessing said history wasn't so dangerous. Maybe when ( _if_ ) they get back home, and Joe actually starts reading The Book, maybe things could be different. If not, Sam's totally okay with things being the way they are now. A normal, safe, magic-free life.  

"That bastard Richard better enjoy this while it last," A guard standing on the other side of the curtain mutters angrily.  

His friend nods, "That monster's reign shall be a short one indeed once our  _true_ king is freed." 

Samantha gasps, "Hey, they're talking about- mmph!" 

Sam clamps his hand over his great granddaughter's mouth when the two guards tense up. There's a breathless moment while they look around suspiciously, but they don't seem to notice Sam and Samantha standing behind them. They continue in lower voices. 

"Are you sure we can leave the rescue of the princes to that... girl?" One of the guards asks, "I fear this matter is too delicate for a woman." 

"Peace my friend," The other guard assures him, "Her role is small enough, and the boys trust her. All she has to do is keep them safe and hidden while the real work is done." 

Applause breaks out at the front of the room and moves through the entire room ending the rest of the guards' conversation.  

"Did you hear that?" Samantha asks, pulling Sam's hand from her mouth, "It sounds like they're talking about the attack Elizabeth mentioned." 

"That's not all. They said there's someone helping to hide the princes. A girl," Sam thinks quickly, "they have to be talking about that girl Joe met, whats-her-name." 

Samantha nods looking excited, "We have to make sure that the others know this, and Joe definitely has to talk to her. We could be looking at a historical hero here!" 

"If she can get us home safely, she'll definitely be my hero," Sam sighs in relief.  

* * *

"Some help this girl is," Joe grumbles angrily under his breath, "if Uncle Joe really did hire her, he should ask for a refund.”  

Joe keeps an eye out for her as he wanders semi-aimlessly around the halls. Breakfast, one of the longest breakfasts that Joe had ever witnessed, had ended some time ago. Being the only one left in the dining room during breakfast, Joe tried more than once to catch San-Li's eye or get close enough to have a quick whispered conversation. But before he managed to get so much as three words out she always cut him off or talked loudly over him to her neighbor. He had kept an eye on her though and noticed that she didn’t go with the rest of the court to the coronation. Joe tried to follow her out the room but got stuck with cleaning duty. He managed to escape getting assigned another chore, but now he was having trouble locating her.  

“Maybe I was being too hasty in quitting magic altogether,” He mumbles to himself, checking yet another empty room, “But it just became too much! Having the most powerful object in the universe, an evil uncle willing to kill me to get it, this... power I sometimes have,” He takes a minute to frown down at his hands. “Not to mention that people keep saying I’m meant to be the Warp Wizard- whatever that means. But they leave me to figure out everything myself. I was just a kid back then! Why did everyone expect me to be able to handle all of that!” 

He knows he’s rambling now; anyone overhearing him would definitely think he’s crazy. But it feels so good to put words to every complicated feeling that he’s going through right now. Without someone judging him for being weak or whiny.  

“It’s not that I don’t mind helping Elizabeth find her sons. It’s not that I mind helping anyone, I really don’t,” He continues as he keeps searching rooms. It seems like there’s a thousand room but right now he’s got nothing but time.  “I’m just no good at this stuff and I wish people would stop shoving me into the deep end. And I wish I could find some decent help!” 

He opens the next door and finds it yet again mostly empty. Along the wall are some bookshelves, the large windows are open to let in the breeze, and tables are set up with cards and chess games. There are also some of those long, cushioned chairs like you see in old movies. A small table in the center holds a tray of desserts and fruits and a pitcher on the table.  On cue, his stomach growls and Joe looks around furtively. He knows he probably just missed the servants who set this room up and probably only has a little time before people come in to use it.  

“I think I earned myself a little break,” Joe smiles to himself, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. “Besides, maybe The Book could be on one of these shelves and we would definitely be able to rescue the princes with it.” 

Licking his lips hungrily, Joe eyes the assortment of strawberries, grapes, cherries, and fluffy custard tarts on the tray. Picking up a handful of grapes, he pops one into his mouth and walks over to the bookshelf to take a look.  

“Hmm, what would happen if I started warping again and actually read The Book?” He muses out loud, “I’m not ready to be the Warp Wizard, but maybe I can be like San-Li and help other time travelers like she did for me. Kind of paying it forward or whatever.”  

The thought makes Joe feel a little better as he skims the titles on the bookshelf. Only a few titles are in anything resembling English though.  The rest are in French and a couple look like they’re in Latin. It’s weird seeing old looking books that don’t actually look old. Joe pulls one off the shelf in mild interest and pops another grape into his mouth. Flipping through the book with his other hand, he sees that it’s written in this weird cursive French.  

“You could get whipped for that you know.” 

Joe chokes and whirls around to see San-Li coming into the room. His relief at seeing her and not someone else is mixed with annoyance that it took them so long to meet up.  

“You know, if you’re working on giving me abandonment issues, you’re off to a great start,” he gripes at her putting the book back, “Are you actually going to help me this time or ditch me again?” 

White hot anger flares up in San-Li's eyes and Joe swallows nervously. He was just blowing off some steam, but now he’s afraid that his mouth may have run off on him again. But then she smiles and the flare eases a bit. 

“You are one touchy guy, Joe,” She drops unto one of the long chairs without grace but takes the time to smooth out her dress. She then reaches out to grab one of the custard tarts from the table and begins to eat the custard out of it. “I told you there’s someone here that I’d rather not run into. I’ve spent half morning avoiding her. I even had to ditch out of the coronation in order to avoid her.” 

“Oh,” Joe watches as she tosses the empty custard crust on the floor and reaches for another one. He remembers that Jodie was trying to warn him about someone too, “Should, um, I be worried too?” 

San-Li reaches for yet another custard and eats the cream out of it, “I don’t see why you should. Our grudge is more... personal. She’d have no business with you.” 

“I see,” Joe frowns, distracted though, as she throws another crust on the floor. He wants to tell her to stop but he’s afraid of making her mad again. He’s starting to feel weird around her and wants nothing more than to get his friends and go home. “So, um, do you think you can take me to the princes now?” 

“Hmmm,” she licks custard from her finger, “No.” 

“No!?” Joe yells without meaning to. He clamps his hand over his mouth, but she doesn’t react the way he expects her to. So, he clears his throat and tries again with a smile, “I mean... why not?”  

“Heck if I know where they are,” San-Li shrugs again. 

“Then why did you offer-” 

“I said, I could help you and I can. I don’t know where the exact whereabouts of the princes, but I know the Tower of London like the back of my hand. I know rooms that you would never be able to find by yourself.” 

“Great! So, when can we-” 

“Tonight,” She holds up a hand to stop the argument at the tip of his tongue, “don’t throw a fit. Night is only a few hours away and it’s easier to move around this way. Now, of course, if you want to get whipped for sneaking around an off-limits area be my guest. Or you know, because politics are so messed up right now, they might just kill you.” 

So many responses and retorts come to Joe’s head that his brain nearly short circuits. He feels like he’s being toyed with and that maybe this girl isn’t going to help him after all. Maybe she’s crazy and has been playing with him this entire time. But then all the fight goes out of him and his shoulders sag.  

“Sure, fine, whatever,” he sighs, “I’ll wait and try to find you again I guess.” 

Something like genuine pity came into San-Li's eyes and her teasing expression softened, “You’re really having a hard time, aren’t you?” 

“It’s um, never easy for me,” Joe admits softly, “I’m not exactly the best time traveler out there.”  

“Then why do it?” 

Joe feels himself flush but only shakes his head helplessly. He could tell her that he’s pretty sure his great-granddaughter tricked him into warping. Or that there may or may not be some big destiny pulling at him. But there’s still a lot that he has to figure out in his own head that he isn’t ready to share with someone he barely knows. Thankfully San-Li doesn’t push him either. She’s watching him though, still eating more custard out of the tarts.  

“So,” he says to break the awkward silence, “is this where you tell me to get lost and find you later?” 

“Nope,” She pops her lips and tosses yet another empty tart crust on the floor, “This is where I tell you to start cleaning because people are going to come in here any second now.” 

Joe’s jaw drops in indignation and he’s about to refuse but then there are footsteps and voices right outside the door. His snaps his jaw shut and glares at her smug face, but obediently bends down to start picking up crust shells. Two servants open the door and a handful of well-dressed people walk into the room laughing and talking excitedly about the coronation 

“How did you know they were going to come in here?” He whispers to San-Li.  

“The sole purpose of courtiers is to always make court life merry,” She whispers back to him slipping seamlessly into an old British accent, “Now hold your tongue before you get a lashing to talking to a lady.” 

Joe bites his tongue and finishes cleaning up her mess. Another courtier calls him over to fill their cup with wine even though they’re right there. Joe just bites his tongue even harder and just does what he’s told. A headache is beginning to buzz in his skull and he makes a mental note to thank San-Li for it later. He just hopes his friends are having a better time than he is.  

* * *

"Ugh!" Jodie yells in disgust as she's splashed with luke-warm sudsy water. She glares up at Fred, "Watch it you, dork bot! You almost drenched my hair!" 

Fred returns her glare from his position on "Well stop polishing the floor under where I’m washing windows then!” 

“Well stop washing the window above where I’m polishing the floor!” 

“Both of you stop it!” Freddi snaps. When they both give her surprised looks she feels herself blush and adds in a quieter, “Please?” 

“Ugh! I can’t do this anymore!” Jodie throws down her rag down into her bucket making it tip over and drench her knees. “UGH!” 

Fred smothers a laugh above her and gets a heated glare, “Sorry.” 

Freddi sighs. She’s exhausted. Looking out the window, she sees that the sky is turning orange proving just how long the day has been. They had been doing nothing from sun up to literal sundown but cleaning, and only managed to learn that Richard had indeed been crowned king instead of Elizabeth’s son. She lost track of how many rooms they three of them had been sent to clean. Thankfully it had been mostly just the three of them so they could look for The Book whenever they were alone. Un-thankfully, they hadn’t found it or the princes yet. She cringes in disgust at the dusk caked under her nails. All she had been doing all day was dusting and she can understand how Jodie feels right now.  

“Can we stop now?” Fred asks from his perch on the ladder, “I’m tired of cleaning and I’m getting hungry.” 

“You’re always hungry,” Jodie mumbles. 

“Hey, you missed a spot.” 

“No, I didn’t. Where?” 

“Here,” Fred rings out his cloth onto the floor creating a small puddle. 

“Oh! You jerk!” 

Freddi closes her eyes and groans, “Guys...” 

She doesn’t get any further than that as suddenly they hear the doors open to the bigger room that leads to the one they’re cleaning now. They all freeze as they hear people come in. Freddi doesn’t know if they should apologize and leave now before whoever it is thinks they’re eavesdropping or stay quiet and hope they don’t get caught. The decision is made for them at the first booming voice. 

“Are you sure no one will overhear us in here?” An impatient sounding man asks. 

“I’m sure, my lord,” A second male voice answers, “They servants should have finished in here ages ago. If any unwanted ears do hear us though, they can have a taste of my dagger.”  

“I told you, you were going too slow,” Jodie whispers up to Fred. 

“I wasn’t the one stopping to complain every five minutes!” 

 _“SSHHH,”_ Freddi shushes them both, feeling her heart pound and her skin go clammy.  She silently prays that no one heard them. She has no doubt that three dead servants wouldn’t raise much of an alarm in 15th century England.  

The voices continue. 

“Now that we lords have convinced that sallow-faced Richard to take the throne, the true sons of England shall finally have our due.” 

“Peace my lord. Even yet now our plan might fail. There are still two loose ends to tie up.” 

“Those bastard boys masquerading as princes?  _Ha!_ They shall soon be dealt with. I’ve seen to it myself with the help of my associate.” 

Freddi stifles a gasp behind her hand, her eyes going wide. She knows that there are terrible people in the world, but it’s still shocking to hear the planned murder of two innocent kids. That and she knew that if they knew they the three of them overheard their plan, they probably wouldn’t last long either.  

There’s a small sound from the far side of the larger room and the two men suddenly stop speaking.  

“What is it?” One of the men snaps. 

The far door opens and a voice so soft that it barely carries over answers them. Freddi can’t make out what whoever it is saying, but there’s the shuffling sound of the two men getting up.  

“Come, friend, let us dine with our new king,” One man chuckles darkly. 

“Yes, and we shall toast to his long and... prosperous reign,” his friend laughs.  

Freddi, Jodie, and Fred wait until their footsteps fade out of the room before they even dare to breathe again. 

“Did you hear that?” Freddi squeaks clutching her hands anxiously, “We have to find the boys now!” 

“Then let’s ditch this stupid cleaning stuff and get going,” Jodie looks shaken but ready to go, “And I can take a guess at who their associate is.” 

“Oh? And who would that be?”  

Freddi gasps at the familiar voice and Jodie goes pale. Feeling a chill go down her spine, Freddi slowly turns around and finds herself face to face with the deeply annoyed blonde maid they ran into yesterday.  

“It seems to me that you’re actively trying to get yourselves killed,” she says stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. 

“Tr-trust me, that’s the last thing we’re trying to do,” Freddi backs away slowly, edging behind Jodie, “As a matter of fact, we would love to keep living.” 

“And we’re  _going_ to save those princes no matter how much you try to intimidate us not to,” Jodie says firmly even though she’s starting to shrink back from the maid’s slow advance. 

“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” Fred suddenly speaks up. He climbs down from the ladder and frowns in confusion at Freddi and Jodie, “ _This_ is the creepy chick you guys were freaked out about? This chick right here?” 

“He means that in the best way,” Freddi says quickly to the maid and gives Fred a look, “ _Freeeeed_ , don’t antagonize her.” 

“Or what?” Fred scoffs walking right up to the maid, “She’s about as big as you.” 

“Fred, for once, don’t do anything stupid,” Jodie sighs. She gives the maid a suspicious look, “We still don’t know who she is or what she’s capable of.” 

“Pffft, I’ll find out right now.” 

Fred stands at his full height directly in front of the maid and stares her down. Freddi knows that deep down her great-grandfather is a big, goofy softy- but even she has to acknowledge that with his growth spurt and muscles, Fred can look pretty intimidating when he wants to. Especially standing in front of someone as slight as this girl. But the maid doesn’t look so much as phased in the least. She meets Fred glare with a steely, steady gaze of her own.  

“Look... whoever you are, I don’t know where you get off scaring my great-granddaughter and her friends, but it won’t work on me,” He says jabbing a finger at her, “So cut it with the scary act already and tell us who you are and what you want.” 

The maid glances down at his pointing finger and back up at him. When she speaks her voice is soft but sharp, “What I want is for you to kindly move your finger and step back. I don’t know who you are and I was talking to  _them_.” 

Fred’s mouth opens in surprise, no doubt shocked at the way she spoke to him but then flushes in annoyance, a stubborn expression coming onto his face.  

“You’re not talking to anyone now but me,” he says still jabbing his finger at her, “now are you going to cut this out or am I going to have to- AH!” 

Fred suddenly yells as the maid grabs his pointing hand at the wrist and gives it a sharp twist upwards. He cries out again as she pushes down, forcing him to his knees or his wrist would snap.  

“FRED!” Freddi and Jodie cry in alarm.  

“I asked you nicely,” the maid says calmly, “Be glad I’m not  _her_. She would have broken your arm in a heartbeat.” She glances up at Freddi and Jodie, “Can we trust him?” 

“Yes! Yes! More than we trust you!” Jodie cries out in distress, “Now let him go!” 

The maid gives a small frown at that and lets Fred go. He glares up at her and cradles his hand against his chest.  

“You’re lucky my dad taught me not to hit girls,” he grumbles. 

The maid ignores him and addresses Freddi and Jodie, “I apologize for my rough treatment of your friend, but I had to be sure that he was not an enemy. If you follow me, I can take you to the princes.” 

“Wait what?” Jodie looks at her in shock, “You... actually know where they are? And you’re just going to take us to them?” 

“Yes, and yes,” the maid brushes past them, crossing the room to get to a tapestry on one of the walls. She moves it aside and presses against one of the bricks. A door sized array of bricks swings open to reveal a secret passage leading down dark steps. “I was on my way to retrieve them now when I heard you three in here.” 

Unlit torches line the wall. The maid pulls a lighter, a modern, plastic lighter, from her apron pocket and lights the torch herself. 

Freddi gasps, “Are you a time traveler?” 

“Not exactly,” she answers. She lifts the torch off the wall and looks at them, “Are you coming?” 

Freddi and Jodie hesitate and look at each other. But Fred shrugs and walks over to her.  

“Lead the way, creepy girl.”  

* * *

“Hey, you know what I just realized?” Sam says suddenly, “Since Richard was crowned king, it’s possible that the princes may not have The Book after all.” 

“Oh Sam, can’t you just be glad we’re doing a good deed,” Samantha sighs, “We’ll be solving one of the greatest mysteries of history  _and_ we’ll be reuniting a family. Why are you always in such a hurry to go home?” 

“That’s not what I mean,” Sam frowns and adjusts his glasses. They were sitting in the servant quarters having managed to slip out of getting loaded with more work. Sam’s knuckles were bruised from the hours of floor sweeping, book carrying, and table setting. What’s more concerning though is that he hadn’t seen Joe or Fred or Freddi or Jodie since this morning. What if they were never able to meet up? What if they get so caught up in playing the role of servants that they actually become one? He shakes his head and tries to focus on the problem at hand now. 

“What I mean is that we were banking on The Book being with the princes,” Sam continues, “But if it isn’t, then it could literally be anywhere. I don’t know about you, but I rather not be stuck in one of the most tumultuous periods in English history disguised as a servant.” 

To his relief, Samantha nods, “Yeah, I see your point. And I’m a little worried about the others. I don’t know how much longer Jodie can last as a servant. When we warp we usually manage to at least associate ourselves with nobility.” 

Sam frowns a little, “yeah, whenever we warp we always manage to get ourselves in trouble. This is just business as usual for us.”  

“Aww, granddad,” Samantha wraps her arms around him sympathetically. 

“Stop calling me granddad!” 

“Tell you what,” Samantha jumps up with a huge smile, “How about when this is over, I borrow The Book from Jodie sometime and we’ll go on a warping adventure just the two of us! I’ll teach you how to time travel like a real warper.” 

She’s smiling down at him in excitement but Sam only feels a nervous twisting in his stomach. He does his best to smile at her anyway, “That sounds... great?” 

“Awesome!” Samantha grabs his hands and pulls him up too, “Come on, let’s go!” 

“Go?” He looks at her in confusion as she begins to drag him out of the room, “Go where?” 

“To find The Book! We’re not going to find it just sitting here!” 

* * *

“You really could have done a number on my wrist you know,” Fred complains for the umpteenth time, “Not that you could have broken it because I’m so buff, but still. I need this arm!” 

The maid says nothing, doesn’t even acknowledge him. Freddi and Jodie though both give him haggard, annoyed looks. They had been walking down these passages for what felt like hours now. Torches had given way to tall candle holders a long time ago and since they were already lit filling the hallways with light, the maid had blown out and dropped her torch a while ago. She said nothing as they walked, Fred did all the talking complaining about his wrist.  

“Fred,” Jodie sighs, “If you don’t stop complaining,  _I’m_ going to break your arm.” 

Fred scoffs, “I’d like to see you try.” 

He falls silent for a moment and Jodie and Freddi begin to relax. Following behind this maid is more than a little unsettling. They don’t even know her name and she doesn't look inclined to talk to them either. She seems slightly less hostile though and Freddi only hopes that Fred doesn't say anything to tick her off.  

“You know, you act like we’re the ones you can’t trust, but  _we’re_ not going around snapping peoples’ wrists,” Fred starts up again. He frowns at his hand, flexing his fingers, “Not that I’m a weakling or anything but it still hurts you know.” 

The maid stops so suddenly that Fred almost crashes into her. She slowly closes her eyes and takes several deep breaths before turning around to face Fred. He jumps and lifts his arms defensively. Freddi draws in a sharp breath, afraid that her great-grandfather might have just gotten himself in serious trouble. The two of them stare at each other for a moment before the maid holds out her hand making Fred flinch back. 

“What? You want to finish the job?” He asks defensively. 

The maid sighs in annoyance and rolls her eyes. But faster than Fred's able to stop her, she suddenly grabs his sore wrist and holds it between her hands.  

“What the heck are you-” 

Fred falls silent though as a soft white glow starts to emanate from the girl’s hands. Fred’s expression transforms into one of stunned amazement when she lets go and he flexes his wrist. 

“Hey! You fixed it!” He breaks out into a wide grin, “That was incredible!” 

“You... can heal?” Jodie’s jaw drops and Freddi finds herself speechless. 

“I don't relish in hurting people,” the girl sighs and starts walking again, “now come on, we have to get to the princes before someone else does.” 

Jodie looks over at Freddi and whispers, “ _oday_ _ouyay_ _inkthay_ _eway_ _ouldshay_ _askyay_ _erhay_ _aboutyay_ _ethay_ _ossiblepay_ _imetay_ _iefthay_ _?”_  

 _“E_ _way_ _ightmay_ _asyay_ _ellway_ _,”_ Freddi responds in a whisper too, “ _ightray_ _ownay_ _e'reway_ _ettinggay_ _oremay_ _uestionsqay_ _anthay_ _answersyay_ _.”_  

The maid stiffens and turns to look at them, “You two think I’m a time thief?”  

“You know pig latin?” Freddi blushes a bit in embarrassment at having been so easily caught talking behind her back. 

“It’s not that hard to understand guys,” Fred rolls his eyes and tugs on the girl’s arm to get her attention, “Hey, do you think you can use that glowy trick on my shoulder? I was in football practice a few days ago and threw this really hard pass and it did a number on my arm.” 

The girl stiffens again and sighs out of the corner of her mouth looking more than a little annoyed this time. But she motions for Fred to step in front of her and bend down. Fred whispers a triumphant yes and does so. She lays a hand on the shoulder he indicates and looks at Freddi and Jodie while the white light does its thing. 

“To answer your question, no, I’m not a time thief,” she says, “But who I am is classified information that I cannot reveal to you at this time.” 

She finishes with Fred’s shoulder and nudges him up. Fred jumps up happily and flexes his arm.  

“Hey, thanks!” He cries happily, “I don’t care who or what you are. You’re okay in my book!” 

He goes to punch her affectionately in the arm, but she quickly side-steps him making him stumble and nearly fall over.  

“Please, no more delays,” She says starting to walk again, “We must find the princes before they’re killed and I still have someone I have to find.” 

* * *

“Please tell me that we're getting close to finding The Book soon,” Sam groans, “I don’t think I can walk anymore.” 

“Would you rather be a servant for another day?” Samantha sighs. Even she’s starting to get tired. “Come on, we have to be getting close. We even managed to find a secret passageway and secret underground rooms.” 

Sam chuckles, “you mean you tripped and stumbled into a secret passageway.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Samantha rolls her eyes and opens the door into another room, “Come on, let’s check here.” 

The door opens to a large, ornate room with a roaring fireplace, a candle chandelier and rich tapestries on the floor and wall. A dark wooden desk stands off to the side with a fancy cushion backed chair. Bookshelves line the walls and a chest sits in the corner half covered by a cloth. There are no windows.  

Samantha gives a low whistle, “The Book definitely has to be in here.” 

“Then what are we waiting for?” Sam looks around, even he looks impressed at the seriousness and splendor around them, “But make sure you put every single thing back the way you find it.”  

“Yes, grandpa,” Samantha rolls her eyes. 

“Stop calling me that!” 

They split up, Sam taking the desk and Samantha going over to the bookshelves. His interest is immediately peaked by the contents of the desk. The script is a little hard to read, but he’s able to make out information regarding the treasury, a ledger of gambling wins and debts, and various letters written in English, French, and Spanish. Reading some of them, Sam recognizes a few names like “York” and “Plantagenet” and “Edward IV”.  On top of the desk are some unfolded letters with broken seals addressed to a Lord Weston from another lord. Scanning these notes, he sees the names “Edward V” and “Richard of Shrewsbury”.  

 He frowns, trying to think of where he heard that name before. He gasps when he does remember.  

“Hey,” Sam calls over Samantha, “This office belongs to Lord Weston! He was the guy who tried to hurt Joe the other day! And I think he has something to do with the princes!” 

“Let me see!” Samantha hurries over, but her foot skims on the corner of the rug and she bumps into the desk. 

Sam reaches out to steady her, “Hey are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine, but look!” Samantha points to a desk drawer that got jostled open by her collision.  

Sitting right inside is a hand-drawn map of what looks like the Tower’s secret rooms and passages. Several rooms are marked with angry red slashes while others are marked with questions marks. But one room is circled several times with the words “found them.”  

“This is the map to the princes!” Samantha cries snatching it up. 

The rest of the paper unfolds and a key drops to the floor. A piece of parchment paper tied to it reads, “A gift for the young king and his brother the prince.”  

“Hey, this was supposed to be for the princes,” Samantha frowns and picks it up too, “Why would Lord Weston have it in his office?” 

“I’ll tell you why,” Sam gestures at the desk, “According to his ledgers he’s deep in gambling debt and probably stole whatever this key goes to.” 

“And how much you want to bet that he doesn’t want anyone to see what’s inside?” Samantha moves with purpose over to the chest with Sam following close behind. 

“Maybe we should just take the key and the map and leave,” he says cautiously, “Who knows what would happen if he catches us in here?” 

“Oh relax,” Samantha dismisses his concern, “No one’s going to-” she suddenly interrupts herself with a gasp, “I don’t believe it!” 

She throws open chest wide and Sam gasps too. Sitting on top of gold coins, carved ivory, and wooden toys, and books is The Book.  

“We found it!” Sam cries picking it up, “We found The Book!” 

“And you have found your deaths.” 

Sam is suddenly yanked up and spun to face the heated, angry face of Lord Weston. The Book is snatched out of his hands and he’s thrown on the floor. Lord Weston barely glances at it though as he tosses it aside. 

“Hey watch it!” Samantha yells, “That’s a precious object you’re just throwing around.” 

“And it shall fetch me a lovely price at the market,” Lord Weston snarls and pulls a dagger from his belt, “But first I shall have to dispose of two nosy servants!” 

Sam screams and cowers in front of Samantha. Behind Lord Weston, the door opens and a blue-eyed maid pokes her head into the room. Lord Weston throws her a dismissive glance over his shoulder.  

“Out maid,” he growls, “be about your own business.” 

“Yes sir,” The maid answers softly but comes fully into the room. Lord Weston doesn’t seem to notice though and turns his attention back to Sam and Samantha.  

“Now, where were we?” He grins evilly. 

Before Sam can scream again, Lord Weston suddenly jolts with a pained grunt and falls to the floor. The blonde maid is standing behind him, a tall candelabra in her hands. She sways a bit as if it’s too heavy for her and drops it. 

“You- you just saved our lives,” Sam says breathlessly, staring from Lord Weston’s prone body to her, “Who are you?” 

Instead of answering him, she looks over her shoulder and calls out, “Are these friends of yours?” 

“Samantha! Sam!” 

“Jodie! Freddi! Fred!” 

Jodie, Freddi, and Fred enter the room and Samantha and Sam run over to them. The five of them embrace exchanging words of excitement and relief. 

“Guys you won’t believe it!” Sam yells excitedly, “We found The Book! It’s right over-” 

He turns around, but the maid is already picking it up with a look of complete shock on her face.  

“Um, do you mind handing that over to me?” Jodie steps forward quickly, “It’s a very important family heirloom.”  

The maid grabs The Book even tighter though and fixes Jodie with a stare that freezes her in her tracks, “What do you mean, a family heirloom?” 

“It’s been in my family for centuries,” Jodie takes another cautious step forward, “And it’s very dangerous so please hand it over.” 

The girl looks stunned and looks from The Book to Jodie, peering at her closely. 

“Tell me one thing,” she says, “Are you at all related to a Joseph Arthur of Brooklyn?” 

Jodie takes a breath and gives her a determined look, “I’ll tell you if you tell us who you are.” 

The girl steps closer to Jodie and continues to peer at Jodie’s face. She seems satisfied with what she sees because her expression softens. 

“No need, I can see the family resemblance,” She steps back and gives all of them a small bow, “My name is Fina and I am the assistant to the Warp Wizard. Now please, help me find Mr. Joseph Arthur. I’m afraid he might be in grave danger.” 

* * *

 

“So how long have you been time traveling, and how were you able to become part of the court?” Joe asks, “Whenever me and my friends warp we’re lucky if we can convince people we’re just weird foreigners. Do you have trouble convincing people? What’s it like being able to just... blend in? And what do you really sound like? Because when you talk to me you sound American but when you talk to everyone else you sound British. And where do you get your clothes? Did you get them here? Or do you get them from home?” 

San-Li suddenly whirls on him angrily, “How many questions are you going to ask me? Do you want my entire biography? Are you ever going to give me a chance to answer? Would you like my answers written or in the form of a question? Are you going to stop when my ears combust or when I finally go  _freaking_   _crazy!?”_  

She finishes her rant in a shriek, breathing heavily. Joe leans back from her red, enraged face and frowns.  

“Well, you don’t have to be so mean,” he grumbles. 

San-Li's eyes twitch, but she takes a breath and finally moves away from him and starts walking again. Joe follows her feeling partly abashed but partly annoyed. Sure, he had a tendency to talk a lot sometimes, but did she really have to be so mean? He wishes that Fred and Sam, or even Jodie, Freddi, and Samantha were with him now. He had tried to convince San-Li to try and find his friends before they started but she insisted that it was better to go now. She hinted that something might go down soon and it would be best to not be underground when it happened. 

And now it was just the two of them navigating the Tower’s underground passages and secret rooms. Joe rubs the back of his neck feeling uncomfortable in the awkward silence. San-Li moves with purpose, not bothering to check the rooms they pass. Joe looks around them nervously, but these halls don’t seem like the ones from his dream last night. But thinking of the dream, he thinks of its ending. The girl on the roof. He wonders who she is and if he’ll ever get to meet her. Even thinking about her makes him smile a little. Joe wishes he could have seen her face. 

“Look,” San-Li sighs, breaking into his thoughts, “I’m sorry I yelled okay? You were being a bit much and I’m not used to actually working with other people.”  

“That’s your idea of an apology?” Joe grumbles. 

“I said I was sorry,” San-Li says tightly, “The sorry part is the apology.” 

Joe fights the urge to argue more and relents, “Alright, I accept. And I guess I’m sorry too for asking too many questions at once.”  

“Accepted.”  

They walk in silence for a bit longer. Though not exactly comfortable, at least the tension is gone. He thinks about earlier today. San-Li said that she isn’t used to working with people and yet she’s taking the time to help him? She doesn’t seem like the most patient person in the world, but she was still doing it. Uncle Joe did say that he was going to hire someone to protect him, what if her job was just protecting time travelers?  

“So, um, can I ask you one question?” Joe asks cautiously. He waits for her to nod before continuing, “Do you usually help all time travelers?”  

San-Li looks at him in surprise and bursts out laughing, “Wh-what? No! Absolutely not! I don’t have the patience to babysit a bunch of amateur warpers. I’m just making an exception for you because you were so bad, you might have gotten me caught.” 

“I- I'm not- you're-” Joe stumbles over his words, completely taken aback, “You’re- you’re so MEAN!” 

“And you’re hilarious,” San-Li's laughter starts to die down and she wipes a tear out of the corner of her eye, “Come on before you kill me. I bet the teachers love you in class.” 

“More like tolerate,” Joe mumbles under his breath but he feels his anger ebb a bit. Sure, she’s a little rough and a mean, but maybe San-Li isn’t all bad. 

“Okay, here we are,” San-Li slows down and stops beside a candelabra with one candle holder missing.  

Joe looks around but doesn’t see a door, or even the tapestry from any of his visions, “Um, what are we looking at?” 

“The doorway to my ticket to the good life,” San-Li sighs in happy relief, “I remember this from one of the other warps to the Tower. Behind this wall is a secret pathway that leads to side way to get to the treasury. But it takes two people to open,” she pauses and gives him a dazzling smile, “Help me open it and get to the treasury and I’m pretty sure I can help you find the rooms where they take political prisoners. The princes are bound to be somewhere around there.”  

Joe smiles back, feeling a sense of relief. Not only was San-Li finally in a good mood, he was going to find the princes and maybe even The Book too. “Sure, sounds great.” 

“Great! Okay, here’s what we need to do; stand here,” she pushes him to stand next to the candelabra, “and on the count of three, pull that short candle like a level, while I push this brick here,” she stands next to the wall on the other side of the hall and locks eyes with him, “Ready? On three; one, two, three!” 

Joe pulls down the candle and she pushes in the brick. There’s a click and the bricks on the wall begin to sink in and move to the side revealing a door shaped opening.  

“Yes!” San-Li hisses triumphantly stepping inside and Joe steps in after her. His jaw drops when he gets inside. Wall to wall treasure crests, bolts of expensive looking fabrics, suits of armor, and everything gold, silver, and jeweled you could imagine. 

“Whoa-ugh!” Joe is cut off but San-Li's elbow in his stomach and doubles over in pain. 

“Keep your voice down!” San-Li hisses, “There are guards on the other side of the real doors and sound carries.” 

“You could have just told me to shut up,” Joe grunts. 

“Just keep it down, I should only be a second.” 

She moves away from him and starts searching through the room. Joe sticks his tongue out behind her back and looks around. Fred would have a field day in this room. He feels a smirk tug at his lips. There are even several crowns sitting on pillowed pedestals. If he wasn’t afraid of getting in trouble, he would snag one for an early birthday present for him. And maybe one of those gold bound and diamond studded books for Sam. But Sam would probably give him a big speech about it being wrong to steal and Jodie would say he was breaking some time travel rule or something.  

“Hey,” He calls over to San-Li. 

“What?”  

“Is this okay?” He asks, “I mean, is there some time travel rule against sneaking into medieval treasuries?”  

San-Li goes still and turns towards him slowly, a scary look in her eyes that Joe couldn’t name. “Why are you asking?”  

“N-no reason,” he swallows nervously, “Just... making sure we won’t get in trouble. That’s all, I swear.” 

“Oh,” San-Li stares at him for a moment longer before her expression clears and she smiles at him, “Feel free to take whatever you want dude. I won’t rat on you.” 

“Um... thanks,” Joe licks his dry lips, “Uh, if you tell me what you’re looking for, maybe I can help you find it.” 

“No thanks,” she hums going back to her search, “I always manage to find what I need.” 

Joe shrugs and continues to look around the treasury while she does her search. Eventually, his aimless walking around takes him to her anyway. San-Li is sitting on the floor, frowning down at a chess set. The board looks like it’s made of rough white stone and smooth black marble. The pieces are gold and silver with ruby and sapphire eyes respectively for the knight pieces but San-Li doesn’t look too impressed. 

“Dang it!” she whispers, “not here either.” 

“You like chess?” Joe ventures, “We can play if you want. I’m alright but I was taught by my friend Sam. He’s really good if you want a challenge.” 

“Maybe later,” San-Li mumbles distractedly, “If it’s not in this room, that means I’ll have to check the king’s room. If it’s even gotten here that is. Man, what a waste of time. I’ll have to find a secret way in though. He’s bound to have increased security by now.” 

Joe’s hand strays to his pocket where he still carries the Crystal Rook. Elizabeth told him that it would be dangerous in the wrong hands, but it couldn't hurt to use it to help someone could it? Especially since San-Li's helping him. Maybe this is why he has it.  

“You know, I might be able to help you,” he starts. 

“Uh-huh, sure kid,” San-Li mumbles still distracted. She stands up and gestures for Joe to follow her, “Come on. Let’s get out of here before we do get caught.” 

Joe starts to follow her out but remembers his dream. Every wrong turn he made, there’s was someone waiting to kill him. It didn’t hurt to be prepared. 

“Wait a second,” He goes over to one of the suits of armor and pulls out the sword, “Just in case.” 

San-Li scoffs and waits for him to step out into the hall with her, “Do you even know how to use a sword?"

Joe fights back the memory and forces himself to shrug, “It doesn’t hurt to have it just in case.” 

San-Li gives him a funny look but only shakes her head and starts walking. They walk until the hallway opens out into a large space with three different paths to choose from. They stop and San-Li starts biting her thumbnail. 

“If I remember one of these passages lead upstairs,” she mumbles under her breath, “But if not, that means I’ll have to go back upstairs. No, it might be too soon after the coronation. Maybe I should wait a few days.” 

“I can actually help you, you know,” Joe says with a slight smile.  “I can prove that I’m not as much as an amateur as you think I am.” 

“Ha! That’s a laugh,” San-Li rolls her eyes, “I don’t even know how you graduated from the Warper’s Academy.” 

“I... didn’t,” Joe’s smile fades a little, “But I did make Time Page before I quit warping and-” 

“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” San-Li stops and gives him a confused look, “If you didn’t graduate from the Warper’s Academy, how are you a Time Agent? Are you just a rogue warper?” 

“Uh...” Joe shrugs helplessly, “I guess you can call me a rogue warper. That sounds kind of cool.” 

“Oh my gosh,” San-Li laughs and pinches the bridge of her nose, “Are you serious? Then how can you possibly help me or those boys?” 

“Because I have this,” Joe reacts to her laughing and pulls out the Crystal Rook, “It’s called the-” 

“The Crystal Rook!?” San-Li burst out in surprise, all laughter gone, “That’s what I’ve been looking for!” 

She moves to grab it from him, but Joe holds it out of her reach. 

“Whoa wait a minute,” He says quickly, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can just give it to you like that. I promised someone that I would keep it safe.” 

“You-” San-Li looks like she’s about to snap, but then she takes a breath and turns away from him. Her shoulders start to shake and this time when she speaks her voice trembles, “Oh just forget it. You wouldn’t understand.” 

Joe’s stomach drops and his eyes grow wide in panic, “H-hey! Are you crying?”  

“No,” She sniffles, “Besides, what do you care. You can’t help me.” 

Joe bites his lip and looks down at the rook. Something is telling him that he shouldn’t give it to her, but he can’t stand making a girl cry. Especially a girl who was willing to help him. Sure, she was a bit hot-tempered sometimes, maybe even a little crazy, but she still tried to help him get home.  

“San-Li, I would if I could. Really-” 

“You would?”  

San-Li turns on him so suddenly that Joe takes a step back and hits the wall. Her entire expression has changed. Her eyes are soft with the glimmer of tears in the firelight. Her lips are curved into an alluring smile. Joe swallows thickly.  

“If you want to give me the rook,” She whispers, “then why don’t you?” 

Part of him wants to. Really, really wants to. Magic or not, it’s just a chess piece, what harm could it do? But behind her smile and the tears, there’s something in her eyes that set Joe on edge. Too afraid that his voice would crack, Joe can only helplessly shake his head. Something flashes in San-Li eyes, but it’s gone again as she begins to toy with a strand of her hair, twisting the silky black locks around her finger. Joe's eyes dart from her hand to her eyes, darker now than he had ever seen them.  

“Please Joe,” San-Li breathes, “I really need that Crystal Rook. You have no idea how much it would mean to me.” 

Joe really,  _really_ wishes that Jodie was here right now. Somehow, he doubted that she would have as much trouble as he is right now. He tries to think of how Anna acts whenever she tries to act cute when she wants something, but San-Li was definitely  _not_ his little sister. He jumps when San-Li's hand lands on his shoulder and his arm tenses, tightening his grip on the rook.  

“Joe, I don’t know what you’re so scared of,” San-Li chuckles seductively. Her hand begins to trail down his arm, “You’d be really helping me out big time.” 

Joe can’t even shake his head anymore. He’s so distracted by her voice and her eyes that he doesn’t realize that what’s she’s doing until her finger slides between his palm and the Crystal Rook. He jolts but then he starts to feel his fingers relax. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to give San-Li the Crystal Rook. Elizabeth warned him that it could be dangerous in the wrong hands, but San-Li wasn’t dangerous. And Elizabeth never said she wanted it back.  

“I- I guess I could...” Joe releases a shaky breath and begins to open his hand. 

“Get away from her, Joe!”  

“Huh!?” Joe starts as if breaking out of a daze. He looks over and sees all his friends coming out of one of the passageways being led by a maid with the most intense blue eyes Joe had ever seen. The others look shocked at seeing him and San-Li, but the maid stares at them with a fierce expression on her face. 

“Joe, get away from her!” the girl repeats pointing at San-Li, “She’s a dangerous time thief!” 


	7. Chapter 7

“Get away from her!” the girl yells at him, “She’s a dangerous time thief!”

“What?” Joe looks at San-Li in confusion, “What’s she talking about? Who is this girl?”

“A very annoying interruption,” San-Li scowls, all previous vulnerability in her face gone as she glares at the weird girl, “Get out of here, blondie. I’m working.”

“Joe, you have to trust me,” the girl says. She glances down at the sword in Joe’s hand though and stops her advance toward them, “I’m trying to help you.”

“Wait a minute,” San-Li steps away from Joe and now it’s her turn to look at him confused, “How does she know your name?”

“Beats me, I never met her before in my life,” He shrugs. There’s something about the girl’s fierce expression that’s a little scary. Especially the way she’s looking at San-Li. Joe puts the Crystal Rook back into his pocket and grips his sword a little tighter. “Maybe you should get behind me.”

“Fat chance,” San-Li scoffs but she’s starting to give him a suspicious look, “You say you don't know her, but she seems to know you."

“San-Li, I’m asking you,” the girl says taking a small step closer, “Please, don’t hurt him.”

“What are we still standing around for!?” Sam suddenly bursts out, “Joe, we found The Book! We can go home anytime now!”

“The Book!?” San-Li spots it in Jodie’s hand and looks from it to Joe. He sees the wheels turning in head until something clicks and she stares at him in astonishment. “You? You’re the next Warp Wizard?”

Joe feels another shiver at yet another vision of his come true. As he takes in San-Li's stunned expression, he feels a bit of pride at surprising Miss Scoff-and-Make-Fun of him. 

“Yeah,” A small, smug smile tugs at his lips, “I kind of am.”

In the next instant San-Li's face transforms into one of pure hatred, “You lying son of a-”

Her fist shoots into his stomach, and Joe doubles over with a breathless grunt of pain. Her next punch lands on his jaw and she snatches the sword from him as he falls to the floor.

“Joe!”

There’s a sick coppery taste in Joe’s mouth as he stares up in shock at the sword pointed directly at him. San-Li's face is scarlet with rage and she’s scowling at him with unbridled hatred and a look of betrayal.

“So, this was a set-up this entire time, eh?” She growls at him, “That pathetic, but good-natured thing was all an act just to get me to let my guard down around you!?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” The pain makes Joe yell. His lip is going numb and something warm and sticky is trailing out of his mouth. He wipes at it and his hand comes away bloody. “Are you insane!?”

“I was for trusting you,” She grits out between clenched teeth. Her grip on the sword tightens, “But now I’m going to do the sanest thing I can think of and rid myself and the universe of you.” 

“Don’t you dare.”

Joe jumps as the girl steps between them. He hadn’t even heard her walk up to them. And now she’s staring down San-Li, completely unafraid of the sword now pointed at her. Something flickers in San-Li's eyes and to Joe’s surprise she takes a half step backwards. 

“Blondie, move,” San-Li snarls, “Don’t make me hurt you.”

The girl merely raises an eyebrow, “We both know you can’t.”

The something comes back to San-Li's eyes and Joe realizes with shock that it’s the same fear in her eyes this morning when something spooked her and she ditched him near the stairway. For some reason, San-Li was afraid of this girl. 

Suddenly, an echoing explosion seems to come from everywhere at once and the walls tremble around them. Smoke begins to drift down the hallway that the others had come from and angry shouts bounce off the walls toward them. Fred, Sam, Jodie, Freddi, and Samantha back slowly way from the hallway they came from. 

“Um guys,” even Fred looks nervous, “I think that attack that Elizabeth lady was warning about is happening now. Maybe we shout get a move on.”

“Well we can’t very well warp with-” Jodie’s statement ends with a gasp, “She’s... gone.”

Joe looks up and realizes that Jodie is right. While they were all distracted by the explosion, San-Li has in fact disappeared, unfortunately taking the sword with her. He feels a strange mixture of relief, anger, and even sadness. The look of absolute hatred and betrayal she had given him struck Joe right to his core. Why did she turn on him like that? It hurt him more than he wanted to admit. Sure, she had been frustrating at times, but the time Joe spent with San-Li hadn’t been terrible. For a moment, he thought they could have actually been friends. 

“Joe,” the girl who saved him kneels down in front of him. The intense, scary look on her face is replaced with gentle concern, transforming her completely. “Are you okay?”

“Gno-” Joe’s frowns at the sound of his own voice. His jaw is definitely starting to swell, “Do I lnook oknay?”

“Here,” The girl slowly lays her hand on his injured jaw.

“Nwat arn you-” 

Joe stops as he feels something warm yet somehow cool radiates from the girl’s palm into his jaw and mouth. The swelling starts to go down and even the blood disappears. By the time she removes her hand, the pain has vanished. Instead of being grateful like he knows he should be, Joe jumps up in surprise and fear. The whiplash between San-Li snapping and pulling a sword on him, and now this strange girl doing... whatever to him was too much. 

“Who are you!?” Joe yells, “And what’s going on!?” 

“Joe don’t be rude!” Jodie chastises him, “She’s the one Uncle Joe sent to help you.”

“And now I suggest we do leave,” The girl stands just as there’s another explosion and running footsteps start echoing towards them. “Come. Let’s get those princes.”

She goes through one of the other passageways and everyone follows her. As they run through, the hallway still fills with smoke and shouting. 

“Are we going the right way?” Sam screams,

“Yes,” The girl answers calmly, “But soldiers and rebels may be filling the hall any second now so we must hurry.”

The passages twist and turn, the walls becoming rougher and the lighting dimmer. They run past several open doorways on each side, but the girl keeps straight. As soon as they pass a few of them though, footsteps and shouting echos from them. 

“Fina...” Freddi casts a nervous look behind them as the volume increases, “I don’t mean to be a pain but I think they’re coming.”

“Almost there.”

They all turn a corner and the girl finally slows in front of a door. She signals them to be quiet despite the increasing noise filling the hallway. She doesn’t seem fazed by the weird look everyone gives her and she opens the door, ushering them inside and closing the door behind her. The seven of them are now standing in a medium size bedroom with softly glowing candles. Toys litter the floor, a trunk of clothes sits open in the corner, and books are piled in another corner. And in the queen-sized bed, blinking sleepily as if they just woken up, are two young boys with curly blonde hair. They look slightly apprehensive as they take in all of them now, but their faces relax when they see the girl.

“Miss Fina,” the older of the two boys whisper, “is it time to leave now?”

“Almost,” she answers but puts her finger to her lips, “but stay quiet. Bad people are still out there.”

Just as she says it, there’s an angry shout right outside the door. 

“Die you disloyal rebels!”

“Long live Queen Elizabeth!”

Sam squeaks and hides behind Fred. Freddi looks like she’s about to faint and clings to Samantha’s arm. The girl, Fina, signals for everyone to crouch down on the floor and they all do so, waiting for the ruckus to pass. The two boys, the missing Princes of the Tower, crawl out of the bed and go to her, crouching by her side. She smiles at them softly, giving them both a soft pat of reassurance. Joe watches her and touches his jaw. He feels bad for snapping at her earlier. Sure, San-Li's total one-eighty freaked him out, but this girl stepped in front of a sword for him. And healed him. The least he could do was thank her.

“Hey, Fina is it?” Joe whispers to her, “Um, I just wanted to say... thank you. Not just for that thing you did to my jaw. But for standing up to San-Li too. That was... pretty awesome of you. She could have seriously hurt you.”

“There’s no need to thank me Joe,” Fina gives him a polite smile, “It’s my job to protect you.”

“But if you were here all along to help Joe, then why were you so hostile towards us?” Samantha asks, “You really freaked us out.”

Fina barely glances at her and when she answers she addresses Joe more than anything, “I’m sorry for scarring your great-granddaughter and her friends. Uncle Joe only gave me your information. With N. and T. informing me that San-Li might make an appearance-”

“Wait! Uncle Joe showed me a message sent to him by someone called N and T,” Jodie interrupts, “Do you know who they are?”

“No, they only sent me a letter,” A faint frown line appears in her brow, but it clears and she continues to smile at Joe, “I knew that San-Li is a time thief with a temper but she usually stayed out of politics, magic or historical. And she usually works solo. But with everything going on, I wasn’t sure if she had an agenda on hurting you and elicited help or not. But since she seemed completely caught off guard and didn’t know who you were, I see that I was wrong. She must have been after something else.”

Joe nods and pulls the Crystal Rook out of his pocket, “I think I know.”

A sudden blast sounds outside making them jump and the younger of the princes give an involuntary cry of terror. More blasts continue and there’s a heavy thud that sounds too much like someone falling to the ground. 

“What do we do?” Sam asks, looking nearly frantic with fear, “They’re right outside the door and they don’t sound like they’re leaving anytime soon.”

Everyone looks at Fina since she was able to bring them this far. But she just looks at Joe with a soft, patient smile. He shakes his head. He doesn’t know why she’s looking at him like that. All he’s done so far is screw up. He accidentally made them warp. He trusted a psychopath. He couldn’t even find The Book. Some future Warp Wizard he was. 

“What are you looking at me for?” He lifts his shoulders defensively, “I don’t know what to do.”

“You aren’t even trying,” Fina says gently, “Just close your eyes, take a deep breath, and think.”

Joe frowns. His head starts to buzz but he forces himself to take a deep breath. He looks at the chess piece in his hand. He didn’t even know what the stupid thing did. Wait. What was it the queen said? If he’s ever lost, it’ll be a lens to help him find his way? An idea suddenly comes to mind, and he holds it up against his eye. The room around them is slightly warped like he expects, but there are weird tendrils of light that he doesn’t expect. The noise of shouts and gunfire from hall increase but Joe blocks it out and looks around. He gasps as he sees that one of the bricks are glowing. 

“There!” He jumps up and runs over to it. Laying his hand on the brick he feels that it’s cool to the touch and he presses it. It sinks in and the wall slides open revealing a secret passage. 

“How did you do that?” Jodie exclaims in surprise.

“It was the chess piece,” Joe smiles down at it, “Huh, good thing I didn’t give it to that crazy chick. Looks like I did something right after all.”

“Well what are we waiting for?” Sam jumps up, “Let’s get out of here.”

The go through the passage way, dimly lit with torches along the walls. Light decreases as they move further away from the room. The only thing lighting their way are the dim torches that line the wall. The only sound is their soft, shuffling footsteps. Joe glances back and notices that everyone looks creeped out. Everyone that is except Fina. She has a slightly far off look in her eyes as she plays something hanging around her neck. Her gaze flickers to him and she quickly tucks it back in the front of her dress. Joe looks elsewhere, feeling his face flush. Great, she probably thinks he’s a creep for staring. He wants to ask her questions, but there’s something about the quietness of the passageway that stops him. Maybe it’s the sound of fighting that still goes in and out around them. Or the freaky way the torches throw their shadows against the stone walls. Or the old brown petals on the ground. 

Joe stops with a sharp gasp making everyone else bump into him.

“Joe! What the heck are you doing?” Fred starts angrily but Joe barely hears him. 

A queasy feeling of de ja vu comes over him and not just because it’s another vision of his coming to life. Because this time if he makes the wrong decision, he doubts he’ll get a do-over. 

“Joe?” Jodie lays a hand on his shoulder making him jump, “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Joe swallows nervously. He wants to tell her but doesn’t want everyone freaking out. Or thinking he’s crazy. 

“Nothing. Just... stay behind me okay?”

They start walking again, and sure enough a fork in the hallway looms ahead. The sound of fighting is coming from both directions. Everyone stops and again looks at Fina. Except for Joe. 

“Come on,” he says and leads them to the left. 

“Are you sure?” Freddi asks nervously, “It sounds like a lot of noise is coming from that direction too.” 

“Trust him. He knows what he’s doing,” Fina says. 

No one else argues. They keep walking. Just like in his dream, the hallway branches off in two directions again. Everyone else hesitates but Joe immediately goes left. Joe is starting to feel the tension in his shoulders relax. Usually doing warps they have no idea what to do. If this was a few years ago, it would have been pure luck if they made it out of these tunnels alive. Joe feels a smile coming on as he feels his confidence returning. Maybe this wasn’t impossible. Maybe he could take up magic again and things could actually go right for a change. His smile freezes though when the hallway takes a sharp left where the fork is supposed to be. 

“Wait!” 

Everyone stops and gives him a weird look. Except for Fina. She just waits for him with a patient if slightly bored smile. 

“What’s the deal Joe? We just go left,” Fred says.

“N-no we don’t,” Joe bites his lip trying to think. Did he make a wrong turn somewhere? There couldn’t possibly have been a fork they missed. 

“Joe the hallway only goes in one direction,” Jodie says impatiently, “now can we go? I want to get out of this dingy hallway.”

“But we can’t go that way!” Joe sighs in frustration, “In my dream we get slashed with a sword if we go left.”

“Your dream?” Sam frowns, “Joe, are following another one of your random dreams? Don’t you remember last time we did that? We almost got stranded in Antarctica by Mad-”

“I know what happened last time,” Joe cuts him off, “Just-wait!”

A lens to find the way. He holds up the Crystal Rook again and sure enough, there’s another glowing brick. 

“Aha!”

He quickly presses it and a passage opens up on the right. 

“Wow, that thing really is magic,” Sam whispers under his breath. 

“Yeah, remind me to borrow it when I want to sneak out of chem lab,” Fred comments back. 

The next fork they come across is the last one where Joe knows should be a three-way split. But there are only two doorways; left and right. According to his dream, both ways lead to disaster. This time though, when Joe holds the Crystal Rook up to his eye, he’s barely able to see anything. Joe bites his lip and walks forward though, gesturing for the others to stay back. The magic rook has worked so far, but there’s no need for anyone else to get hurt if Joe’s wrong. To the left he can hear the echoes of clashing metal and angry shouts. To the right he can see the flicker of orange light, probably from fire. Joe shakes his head and places his hand against the stone. It's rough and cool to the touch but nothing happens. 

“Come on,” he whispers to himself and closes his eyes, “I know you’re there. I saw you.”

He opens his eyes slowly and puts the crystal back up to his eyes. There! So small and slight that he almost doesn’t see it, but he sees two small indents in the stone in the shape of something familiar. A castle tower and a rose. The exact size of a charm. Joe starts to frown until he realizes something. 

“Hey, your, um, Highnesses?” Joe calls over to the two boys, “Before you came here, did your mom happen to give you any charms?”

The two princes look at each other in surprise. The older one answers with a nod, “yes, sir. Before our uncle sent for us, our mother gave us these.”

They reach into their pockets and pull out delicate silver chains. Dangling on the end of those chains, glinting softly in the dim torch-light, are two charms. One of a castle tower and one of a rose. They walk up to Joe and place the charms where Joe tells them. The charms fit perfectly in the indents and begin to glow softly. The glow spreads through the cracks of the door until it forms the shape of a doorway. The bricks part creating the third passageway that Joe saw in his dream. They all go through and find themselves in a circular room with a large tapestry hanging on the wall and a single door. Joe pockets the Crystal Rook with confidence. He doesn’t need it anymore. 

“Fred, help me pull this down,” He says grabbing a corner of the thick, heavy tapestry. Fred nods and grabs the other end. “Ready? One, two, three!”

On three they both pull and the tapestry comes loose and falls off the wall revealing a second door. Cool, misty air wafts from under the bottom. Wordlessly, Joe grabs the handle and opens the door. There’s a collective breath of awe and relief as everyone walks outside into the cool night air. The moon is shining bathing the grassy field in cool light and making the river shimmer silver. All of them walk out into the night, the noise of fighting at the castle fading to a vague echo behind them. 

“You- you did it,” Sam’s voice is low in awe as he looks around, as if he can’t believe what he’s seeing. He turns to stare of Joe, “You actually managed to get us out of there safely with just a chess piece. How?”

“Because,” Fina speaks up, laying a hand on Joe’s arm, “He has the magic of the next Warp Wizard.”

A feeling of pride wells up in Joe, so strongly and almost foreign to him, that he feels embarrassed. He coughs and looks away, “Um, t-thanks, Fina.” 

Suddenly, one of the princes gasp and points to the river, “Mother!”

Joe looks up and sees mist rapidly gathering on the river. It forms a mass and starts flowing down the river. Jodie shivers and takes a step closer to Joe but the princes smile in excitement. As the mist draws nearer though, it begins to clear revealing a small barge. Standing at the head is Elizabeth Woodville. They meet her at the river shore. Joe can’t be sure, but when she steps of the barge, it seems almost as if she’s floating on the mist. But the next moment, her children run into her arms and she holds them close. The princes are nearly crying and Elizabeth’s eyes are shining with unshed tears. 

“Hush my children, hush,” she soothes them, “Our reunion must be brief for now my loves. We have a way to go before we are safe.”

The boys reluctantly separate from their mother and step on to the barge. She makes sure they are safely situated and turns to Joe with a smile. 

“You have my deepest thanks Warp Wizard Joe,” she sinks into a low graceful curtsey, “I am forever at your debt.”

“Um,” with a nudge from Fina, Joe attempts to give Elizabeth and clumsy bow in return, “No problem. I mean, you’re welcome, your highness.” 

Straightening up, Joe clears his throat and pulls out the Crystal Rook. He holds it out for her to take, “And thanks for letting me borrow this. It really saved our lives. I almost gave it away but.... anyways, thank you.”

Elizabeth smiles at him, but folds his fingers back over the rook, “Keep it Warp Wizard Joe. With my love and my eternal gratitude. May it always help to guide your way. And now, it is time for my sons and I to leave. Thank you again for all you have done.”

Mist begins to build again as Elizabeth Woodville steps back onto her barge. The mist flows down the river and fades out of sight. Joe releases the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. 

“Joe you did it!” Jodie throws her arms around him in a tight hug, “I knew you could!”

“We saved the princes!” Freddi hugs him too, “Oh my gosh, I think I’m going to cry!”

Joe’s face flush and his face starts to stretch into a grin. They had The Book, they saved the princes. But most importantly, everyone was safe.

A slow ironic clapping cuts his relief short. 

“Very good Warp Wizard,” A chilling voice comes from behind them, “A happy, freaking ending.”

Joe’s blood runs cold as he turns and sees San-Li coming towards them. The sword she took from Joe is now strapped on her back. She stops her sarcastic clapping to give him a menacing smile. 

“But you're not going anywhere just yet."

   
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think I'm going to try shorter chapters and more frequent updates. Thank you for reading and leave some feedback so I know what you think. Thank You


	8. Chapter 8

Nothing kills a good mood faster than a crazy person with a sword. Joe’s stomach twists as San-Li advances toward them. It’s not all fear though. To be honest, he’s still hurt and confused as to why she turned on him in the first place. Okay so they hadn’t been bffs when they first met, but Joe didn’t do anything to her to make her act like a psycho.  

“Joe,” Fina pulls him away from Jodie and Freddi and has him stand behind her, “stand behind me alright? She can’t get to you if you’re near me.” 

“Aww, you’re protecting him from me?” San-Li smirks and pulls the sword out from behind her. “How adorable.” 

“What do you want from us?” Joe asks angrily, “And what did I ever do to make you so mad?” 

“It’s not what you did but you who you are,” San-Li answers ominously, “But right now, all I want is the Crystal Rook. Hand it over and this doesn’t have to get ugly.” 

“No way!” Joe tries to take a step forward, but Fina puts an arm out to keep him back. He gives her an annoyed look before glaring back at San-Li, “Maybe before, when you weren’t acting like a total psychopath, I would have. But now, you can just forget it!” 

San-Li's eyes narrow and she takes a step forward. Fina mirrors her, taking a step back and makes sure Joe does too. A small comes to San-Li's face and she takes another step. Again, Fina and Joe mirror her in the opposite direction.  

“Fina, what are you doing?” San-Li asks in an almost friendly tone. She takes another step, “I thought you’d be tired of this game by now.”  

“I am,” Fina and Joe take a step, “But you’ve always been stubborn. And a bit immature.” 

San-Li's eyebrow ticks. Joe nudges Fina’s arm and whispers, “Do you really think it’s a good idea to insult a crazy person with a sword!? Who knows what she’ll do to you?” 

“She can’t do anything to me,” Fina whispers back, “But be sure to stay behind me, step for step. Just in case she tries anything to you.” 

Joe swallows nervously.  

San-Li laughs harshly, “Are you two whispering together already? Wow, Fina, you work faster than me.” 

Fina’s brow furrows in confusion, “What are you talking about?” 

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, blondie.”  

San-Li steps to the side now so Fina and Joe take a step in the opposite direction. Joe glances back at his friends. They haven’t moved and he doesn’t blame them. This is starting to look like a thing between San-Li and Fina that really has nothing to with him or them. If he could, he would sneak over to join them so they could warp out of there and leave them to their cat fight. Fina seems confident that San-Li wouldn’t hurt her, but she made it clear that the same doesn’t apply to him.  

“Are you gonna bat those big blue eyes at him?” San-Li continues with a nasty smile, “Cook him all his favorite meals? We both know how sickly sweet you can be.” 

“What are you getting at?” 

“Nothing. I just hope that this one treats you better than the last one.”  

Fina’s eyes narrow into a glare but her voice remains calm, “I still don’t know what you mean.”  

By this point, the three of them are moving in a slow-moving circle. Fina making sure that she and Joe kept facing San-Li at all times. San-Li with a teasing smirk on her face, idly dangling the sword by her side. Her smirk gets bigger.  

“Just that I think that you think that if you’re sweet to this Warp Wizard, he might actually fall in love with you. And you can trade that fake wedding band you always wear for a real one.” 

Fina gives a sharp gasp, and her eyes widen in hurt, completely breaking her calm facade. Her hand reaches up to the front of her dress towards her necklace, but it falls again and clenches into a trembling fist. San-Li definitely struck a chord.  

“Hey, leave her alone!?” Joe yells angrily. 

“See? He’s coming to your rescue already,” San-Li chuckles and focuses her gaze on him, “But before you don your shining armor, Joe, maybe you should ask yourself something- If Fina’s job is to protect the Warp Wizard, then how did the last one go missing on her watch?” 

Despite himself, the question actually does make Joe pause. He looks over at Fina and sees that her lips are pressed into a tight line. She meets Joe’s eyes for only a split second before her eyes fall again. He instantly recognizes that look. It’s the same look he used to have the first weeks after his showdown. He doesn’t believe for a second that Fina has anything to do with the old Warp Wizard’s disappearance, but she definitely feels guilty over something.   

“You know, there are two probable answers as to what happened,” San-Li continues, still talking to Joe, “Either Fina sucks at her job or she’s behind it.” Her attention goes back to Fina. “Is that what happened, blondie? You got tired of sharing him with other women so you got rid of him so you’d never have to share again?” 

“What is wrong with you!?” Fina suddenly screams. Everyone, even San-Li flinches back. Tears are beading in her eyes, but she’s glaring at San-Li in anger and hurt, “Why do you have to be so... so... cruel!?” 

San-Li's smirk falls and for a moment, she does actually look sorry, “I know. I hate myself too. But I had to push you. How else could I distract you while I do this?” 

Joe gasps, suddenly seeing what she’s about to do, “Jodie, watch out!” 

But he’s a second too late. In one swift motion, San-Li grabs Jodie twists her arm behind her back and holds the sword up to her neck. In all the time that she and Fina were arguing, and they we circling each other, San-Li had been inching closer and closer to his friends and great grand-daughter. And now she had Jodie in a tight grip with a sword to her neck. Jodie struggles against her though, until San-Li whispers something in her ear that makes her go still. 

“Let her go!” Joe yells and tries to go over to them, but Fina holds him back, “Fina, let go of me! She has my great grand-daughter!”  

“No,” Fina rubs at her eyes, and fixes him with a stubborn look, “It’s my job to protect you and that’s what I’m going to do. No matter what.” 

“Well can’t you do something then!?” 

Fina looks over at San-Li and Jodie before shaking her head, “She’s faster than me. But if she does end up cutting her, I might be able to heal her before... you know.” 

“All I want is the Crystal Rook, Joe,” San-Li says calmly, “Hand it over and I won’t have to do anything to her. I’ll just be on my way and we never have to cross paths again. And don’t think about trying to bum rush me,” she throws a pointed look at Fred who did look like he was about to do just that, “because I could do some real damage before you can even touch me.”  

Fred scowls at her but takes a step back. San-Li turns her gaze back to Joe and raises an eyebrow. She twists Jodie’s arm a little making her hiss in pain, “Well Warp Wizard? I’m running out of patience.”  

“Okay, okay, just let me think!”  

Joe's head is starting to buzz again. He bites his lip and stalls, hoping for a vision or something to give him a clue as to what to do. This situation is all too familiar to him. Someone he cares about is at the hands of another psychopath. The person who’s supposed to be able to help him is no help at all, and he feels completely useless. A long time ago when Anna was almost shot with an arrow he was able to use this power and stop the arrow midair. A few months later, the same power helped him stand up to his evil uncle. But he still has no control over it. His hands are starting to tingle and feel warm, but what good does that do? What good would any of his so-called magic do if, even if he did still have it? San-Li and Fina are right. San-Li is too close to Jodie and cut her before Joe could even blink. The Book was in Jodie’s bag, but even that was useless right now. 

“Joe-” Jodie starts with wide eyes.  

“Alright! Alright!” Joe yanks the Crystal Rook out of his pocket and holds it out, “here. Take it!” 

San-Li narrows her eyes suspiciously and shakes her head, “Nuh-uh. We trade. The girl for the rook. I don’t want any of your wizard tricks. Or your lies.” 

“I don’t have any,” Joe says bitterly, “And you’re the liar. Not me.” 

San-Li snarls but starts walking forward with Jodie. Joe begins to walk forward to, brushing Fina aside when she makes a move to stop him. They walk slowly until they’re face to face. Joe hold out the rook first and San-Li slowly lowers the sword from Jodie’s neck.  

“You know, I did honestly like you, Joe,” San-Li says quietly.  

“I almost liked you too.” 

San-Li's mouth twitches up in a humorless half smile and she drops the sword. She snatches the rook from Joe’s hand and pushes Jodie into his arms at the same time. Joe catches Jodie and hugs her tight. 

“I am so, so sorry,” He whispers, feeling a lump in his throat, “I never wanted anyone to be in danger.” 

“I’m alright, I promise,” Jodie pulls out of Joe’s arms and grabs his wrists, “but are you okay?” 

Joe follows her gaze and inhales sharply. His fists are pulsating with bright green light, but it’s starting to fade.  

"This is all your fault, by the way,” San-Li scoffs, “All you had to give was give me the rook.” 

Joe’s head snaps up and the buzzing in his head drowns out everything else. It’s like de ja vu but a million times worse. This is the second time that someone he cares about was held hostage by a psycho who then blamed him as if it’s his fault they’re crazy. Before he can stop himself, before he even knows what he’s doing, Joe whirls around and swings his fist directly at San-Li. His fist slams into her face sending her flying up through the air and she falls like a rock into the river with a splash. The buzzing in his head disappears and the glow fades. There’s a beat of silence before everyone erupts in cheers.  

“Alight Joe!” 

“You did it!” 

“That was amazing!” 

“You totally saved us!” 

Joe smiles as they clap him on the back and congratulate him. He turns to ask Fina if the last Warp Wizard could do anything like that, but she’s standing apart from everyone else, staring at the river in what almost looks like worry.  

“Man, I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she gets out of the water,” Fred laughs, “She’ll never mess with us again.” 

“I couldn’t agree more,” Joe grins.

He and everyone else turn their attention to the river, waiting for San-Li to resurface. Pretty soon, the laughing dies down and smiles fade. Joe never realized how fast rivers move before. Or how dark the water is. And it’s probably freezing. He takes a few steps closer trying to peer through the darkness. Maybe she already crawled out further downstream? If she did he would see her, wouldn’t he? He could barely see the shore on the other side though. Could she have swum all the way across in the dark?  Fina’s hands are pressed together against her tightly closed lips and to Joe, it looks almost like she’s praying.  

“Joe, I don’t see her anywhere,” Sam starts quietly, “Do you think she’s... you know...” 

Joe can only shake his head. He doesn’t even want to think about it. He didn’t even mean to hit her. He never hit girls. He just... lost it. She just sounded so much like... 

“Do you think one of us might have to jump in after her?” Freddi asks. 

Samantha shakes her head, “The river is moving too fast. We’d just get pulled downstream. Or under.” 

They all fall silent again. Despite Samantha’s warning, Fred begins to toe off his shoes. The idea to use The Book and go back in time crosses Joe’s mind. Maybe he can go to the point right before he hits her and stop himself before- 

"Look!” 

Something breaks the surface of the fast-moving water further downstream and crawls onto the shore. The figure is barely visible in the moonlight, but it’s definitely San-Li. She stands up shakily but makes no move to come towards them.  

“You jerk!” She screams, “I’ll never forget this!”  

A blinding flash of blue-green light comes over her and she’s gone.  

Joe releases a breath, feeling relieved, happy, and exhausted all at the same time. This time it’s finally over. This so-called magic of his actually came through for once and no one got hurt. He turns to Fina who’s still looking off in the direction San-Li disappeared to. He clears his throat to get her attention and she turns to him with a soft smile.  

"Um thanks, for you know, everything you’ve done for us,” He says rubbing the back of his neck, “Will we be seeing you again anytime soon?” 

Fina gives him a non-committal half shrug, “It’s possible. We might run into each other from time to time.” 

“Oh... okay.” 

“Joe?” Jodie steps up next to him and hands him The Book, “Are you ready to go home?” 

Joe takes a shaky breath and nods, taking The Book from her. He can almost feel it vibrating as he lays his hand on the cover. Without needing any help, he opens it and the green mist comes pouring out. He looks up to thank Fina one more time but the mist covers them completely and they’re gone. 

It’s actually one of the smoothest rides Joe has ever had warping with The Book. His body feels weightless and the next thing he knows, he’s in the middle of the park. The green mist fades leaving muted sunlight coming through the trees.  

“We’re home! We’re finally home!” Sam throws his hands up in relief, “Finally! No more dark, creepy castles! No more crazy plots and rebellions!” 

“And let’s give it up for Joe!” Fred yells clapping him hard on the shoulder, “He totally wasted that crazy chick with the sword. I didn’t even know you could do that.” 

“Yeah... neither did I,” Joe stares down at his hands. He tries to bring back that feeling again but nothing happens. “Maybe I should talk to Uncle Joe after all.” 

“Does this mean you’ll get back into magic again?” Jodie asks, gently taking The Book from him. “And time traveling?” 

“I don't know yet,” Joe shrugs. He still has a lot of questions and concerns. For one, they still have no idea what happened to the last Warp Wizard. He didn’t even get a chance to ask Fina. Not to mention this magic that only sometimes made an appearance. It would be nice if he could control it or at least have some understanding of it. 

“I will consider it,” He decides finally, “It would be good to at least get a handle on whatever this is.” 

“Oh, I knew you’d make the right decision!” Jodie cries happily, throwing her arms around him again. 

“I said I will consider it,” Joe repeats with a laugh, “But I can’t make any promises. We both know I’m not the best with learning magic remember?” 

“You’ll be fine,” Jodie releases him from the hug and stands with Freddi and Samantha, “And if you need any help, you know how to reach me.” 

With that she opens The Book and the green mist warps them away. 

* * *

A flash of blue-green light illuminates the smoky dimness of the underground cavern, startling Jack out of a fitful sleep. A scream shatters the silence.  

“Are you insane!?” 

“Wha- who?” 

 Jack straightens up in on his throne as something tiny is pelted at him, hitting him square in the chest.  

“Ow! Hey-” He looks down to see the Crystal Rook, the actual Crystal Rook, laying in his lap.  His face spreads into a greedy, unbelieving grin, “You actually found it. I can’t believe-” He stops short when he sees his professional time thief soaking wet, furious, and with a black eye. “What happened to you?” 

“The Warp Wizard happened to me!” San-Li shrieks. She screams again and paces away from him, grabbing her hair with both hands, “This can’t be happening. I can't believe he's really gone and they already replaced him. I can't go through this again. It'll be the death of me.” 

“The Warp Wizard did this to you?” Despite himself, Mad Jack feels a shiver go down his spine, “His name wouldn’t happen to be Joseph Arthur would it?” 

San-Li whirls on him with a fierce scowl and her voice turns deadly, “Did you send me out against him on purpose?” 

Mad Jack swallows and he feels his body go through another blasted transformation. His body shrinks and the monocle falls off his now round, babyish face. His lower lip trembles and he struggles to make his voice firm.  

“No,” He admits, “He was supposed to give up magic years ago. And besides, what’s the problem? You’re a professional time thief. If you run into him next time, just get rid of him.” 

“One, I’m not an assassin. Two, there isn’t going to be a next time because I quit! Just pay me the money you owe me for that stupid rook and I’ll be on my way.” 

“But what if I pay you double?” 

“Double?” The greedy glint comes back to San-Li's eyes, but she begins coughing and gingerly touches her swelling eye. She shakes her head and her scowl returns, “Forget it. I don’t deal with wizards, warp or otherwise. I wouldn’t stand a chance.” 

“Oh, but you do,” Mad Jack suppresses a groan of pain as he ages ten years in seconds, “Because you see, I know exactly who this Joseph Arthur is. And I know for a fact that he’s no good at magic. Tell me something, did he seem to have trouble locating The Book?” 

The question actually makes San-Li pause. She narrows her eyes but slowly nods. Mad Jack hides his relief. So, nothing much has changed.  

“Then I can assure you that he is still inept at magic at best,” He says confidently, “Whatever happened to you was a fluke. He has no control over his magic. I doubt he even knows how The Book works.” 

“Who does?” San-Li groans and pinches the bridge of her nose, “Look Jack. I don’t think that this is working-” 

“I can give you his home address.” 

San-Li gives pause and takes a couple of steps away from him. She bites her thumbnail, mumbling to herself. Mad Jack watches her anxiously, feeling another change come over him. If she quits on him now, all his hopes go with her. Finally, she turns back to him.  

“Show me the money first.” 

* * *

The hallways are filled with students at their lockers, shoving stuff in backpacks, or wasting time before after school activities start. Joe stands at his locker with Fred and Sam.  

“Okay,” Joe grins and fans the deck out to Fred, “Pick a card.” 

Fred groans, packing up his gym bag for practice, “I don’t want to. Ask Sam.” 

"Uh-uh, don’t ask me,” Sam quickly shakes his head, his arms already full of books, “My hands are full and I’m not trying to get zapped or anything.” 

Joe rolls his eyes, “I wouldn’t zap you, Sam. I have a little more control than that. Give me some credit.” 

“Fine! Here,” Fred quickly grabs a card, looks at it for a minute and puts it back in the deck. “You get back into magic and this lame card trick is what you choose to pick back up. Why don’t we warp somewhere cool or find more time thieves to knock out or something?” 

“One step at a time Fred. I have to get a handle on basic magic before we go warping anywhere anytime soon,” Joe shuffles the deck, completely ignoring the second thing Fred mentioned. He could happily live the rest of his life without seeing another time thief or psychopath again. 

Once the deck was shuffled, Joe holds it between his hands and tries to focus. It’s actually one of the tricks that Uncle Joe actually managed to teach him before he quit a few years ago. Taking slow, steady breaths like his uncle taught him, Joe begins to feel something deep within him start to stir. 

“Any day now, please,” Fred starts impatiently, “Coach gets really manic when we’re late for practice.” 

“Almost done,” Joe’s head starts to ache but then he’s suddenly sure he got it. “There!” He gives Fred a smug smile, “Check your wallet.” 

Fred gives him a surprised look, it’s clear he wasn’t expecting Joe to say that. He opens his wallet and his jaw literally drops as he pulls out a card.  

“No way!” He shouts in total disbelief. He gives Sam a look, “Did you plant this?”  

Sam shakes his head, even he looks shocked, “No way, I swear I didn’t.” 

“There’s no way you did that!” Fred’s starting to grin though, “I can’t believe one of your dumb card tricks actually almost worked!” 

“Almost?” Joe’s smile fades a little, “What do you mean almost? It totally worked.” 

“No, it didn’t. This isn’t my card. Still cool that you did this much though,” Fred glances at his phone and hands Joe’s card back, “I gotta get going now. Call me if we’re going to Ray’s.” 

He races down the hall nearly knocking down some of the other students. Joe shakes his head and reshuffles the deck. So, the trick didn’t go exactly as planned. He’s far from discouraged. He never even got this far before. 

“Okay, I totally have it this time,” He grins fanning the deck out to Sam, “Pick a card.” 

“Again, hands full and I’m late for debate club,” Sam rolls his eyes but he nudges Joe’s arm, “But hey, I’m glad you seem happy again. Call me if you need help with the history homework.” 

He hurries off down the hall in the opposite direction, leaving Joe alone. Joe slings his backpack over his shoulder but this time doesn’t put his headphones in. He has a lot to think about and he doesn’t need any distractions. He heads home alone, skipping the turn he would take to Anna’s school since she had early dismissal today.  

Almost a week has passed since England and Joe is still trying to process everything. All the pros and cons of picking up magic again and getting drawn back into everything. He still doesn’t feel ready to be the Warp Wizard or bring The Book completely out of retirement just yet. But maybe it wouldn’t hurt to brush up on his magician skills a little. He almost had this trick down. With more practice, who knows what he could do. Maybe he could even pick up his lessons with Uncle Joe again. Just the basics of course. But first, he had to get this one down.  

As soon as he gets home, he throws his backpack on the kitchen table and pulls out his deck.  

“Hey, Anna!” He calls out, “Where are you? I have a cool trick to show you!” 

“My room!” She calls from upstairs, “And what trick? You don’t do magic remember?” 

"You’ll see!” 

Joe rushes up the stairs with an excited grin on his face. He can’t wait to see the look on Anna’s face. He had kept the whole England warp a secret from her just to be safe. So, it was going to blow her mind when he showed her this trick. 

“Hey Anna,” He says going into her room, “Pick a... card...” 

He trails off and his stomach drops like a rock. Anna smiles up at him, sitting cross legged on her bed with a handful of cards. And across from her with her own hand of cards, is none other than San-Li. Her outfit is more modern with jeans and a cropped red t-shirt instead of a fancy dress, but there’s no mistaking her nasty smirk or her dark eyes. Joe feels a miniscule amount of smugness though at seeing the shiner over one of those dark eyes.   

“Joe?” Anna’s smile starts to fade, “What’s wrong?” 

“Yeah Joe, what’s wrong?” San-Li bats her eyes in fake innocence, “Aren’t you happy to see me?” 

“What are you doing here?” Joe glowers at her, “Get out. Now.” 

“What’s going on?” Anna looks between Joe and San-Li, “I thought you said that you and my brother were friends.” 

“I never said we were friends. After all, he’s the one who did this to me,” she says pointing to her black eye. “You didn’t think I’d forget that, did you?” 

Anna gasps and gives Joe an accusing look, “Joe! You hit a girl?!” 

“Anna get away from her!” Joe yells feeling his heart beat start to pick up. He tries to reach for his magic but he only finds panic. This can’t seriously be happening again.  

Anna’s eyes widen at Joe’s tone and she starts to get up, but San-Li slings an arm around her shoulders and forces her to sit down again. 

“Oh, he did more than just hit me,” San-Li's smirk becomes a sharks grin, “He threw me in a river and nearly drowned me.” 

Anna tries to get up again but San-Li only tightens her hold on her. Joe’s fist clenches at the sight, but no magic comes up, just panic and fear. Still, maybe if San-Li thinks he can repeat his last burst of magic, he can scare her off.  

“Let my sister go, or I’ll-” 

“You’ll what?” San-Li shrugs calmly, “show me what you can do. Gone on, show me your magic.” 

Joe takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He tries to focus like Uncle Joe always taught him, but too many thoughts are running through his head. For a moment there’s a brief tingling sensation in one of his hands, but it’s gone just as quickly. Joe gives up with a groan of frustration. 

“What do you want!?” He cries desperately.  

“Simple,” San-Li smirk fades and she reaches for something behind her back, “I want payback.” 

“Joe, look out!” Anna grabs something from under her pillow and presses it to San-Li's side.  

“What are you- AHHHHH!” 

San-Li begins screaming and convulsing as Anna tasers her in the side. Her limbs spasm uncontrollably and one of her arms thrash out as she falls to the ground, causing the large dagger she was holding to go flying straight toward Joe.  

“Joe!” 

Before Joe has a chance to react, he feels himself being pushed from behind. He falls to his knees and Anna screams. She stares behind Joe at the doorway in horror. He turns around and immediately feels sick. Fina is standing where he should have been with the dagger hilt deep in her chest. Joe opens his mouth to scream too but no sound comes out. He waits for Fina to scream or fall or something! Fina looks down at the knife sticking out of her chest, looks up at San-Li, and raises an eyebrow. 

“Really?” Fina deadpans, “This  _was_  a new top.”  

San-Li swears and struggles to stand up, still twitching, “D-don’t blame me. Br-br- brat tasered me.” 

She flinches back as Fina slowly pulls the dagger from her chest. San-Li's lips curl in disgust, “Gross.”   

“Well, you wouldn’t have to see this if you had just left him alone like I told you to,” Fina says almost sweetly. She tosses the dagger aside like it's nothing, “He’s under my protection now. So please leave.” 

“Gladly,” San-Li grabs Anna’s lamp and breaks the window open. She throws a smirk at Joe, “And yes, I did that just to be spiteful. Later Joe.” 

Instead of going to the now broken window, she pulls out a pocket watch. There’s the same flash of blue-green light and she’s gone. 

“J-Joe,” Anna stares wide-eyed at Fina and back at him. Even she’s shaking a little, “What in the world is going on?” 

Joe shakes his head and rushes over to her, wrapping his arms around her. He doesn’t feel the least bit embarrassed like he would have under normal circumstances. That’s twice now that his sister’s been in danger, and it’ll be the last time if he has anything to say about it.  

“It’s a long story,” He says, “By the way, this is Fina. My new assistant apparently.”  

“The Warp Wizard’s Assistant actually,” Fina corrects with a small bow, “But I’ll be happy to check in with you from time to time.” 

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

Meanwhile in Paris, France 

“But you don’t understand,” Uncle Joe pleads with the assistant as calmly as he can, “All of time magic as we know it can be in jeopardy. All the space/ time continuum could be in danger. I must speak to Lord Beauchene at once.” 

The assistant only gives him an unimpressed look and points at his computer again, “And I’m telling you Mr. Magnificent, Lord Beauchene won’t have another opening for another eight months. Now if this really is an urgent petition, you are more than welcome to fill out these emergency petition forms and submit them before the end of the month. They usually take up to six weeks for approval.” 

Uncle Joe sighs in frustration and runs a hand over his face. It feels like years since he’s had a good night’s rest and it looks like he wouldn’t get any rest any time soon.  

“Is that all monsieur?” The assistant’s hand starts to move under his desk, “Or do you need an escort to show you out?” 

“No, no, that won’t be necessary,” Uncle Joe does his best to smile at the unhelpful man, “May I leave my card though? Just in case he finds the time.” 

“Of course, monsieur,” the assistant smiles politely though it’s clear he couldn’t care less. 

Uncle Joe conjures up his professional magician’s card anyway with a flick of his wrist and uses his pen to scrawl a quick message on the back. He leaves it with the assistant and leaves the room with another bow and puts back on his hat.  

“Oh, what am I going to do now?” He laments as his footsteps echo in the hallway of the large mansion, “The situation is growing desperate and we may not be able to survive the coming hardship without Lord Beauchene’s support. I wonder if he even knows of our predicament.” 

“Let me guess, you have been denied access to my father, no?” 

Uncle Joe pauses as he passes one of the many of the sitting rooms. Reclining on a chaise lounge with several books floating around her, is none other than the young lady Beauchene herself. She's younger than Uncle Joe expects her to be, right around his own nephew's age. She glances up at him, still standing in the doorway and raises an eyebrow. 

“Well?” She says, “Am I right or no?” 

“I’m afraid you’re right young lady,” Uncle Joe quickly takes off his hat again, “But I didn’t mean to disturb your studies. I’ll just be on my way.” 

“Oh, these books will always be here,” she waves her hand and all the books fly back onto the shelves, “Besides I admit I am a bit cross with daddy right now. There are times where I think even I need an appointment to see him and I’m his daughter.” 

Uncle Joe clears his throat uncomfortably and tries to smile, “Well, parents can be busy at times. Uncles, too I’m afraid.” 

“Which is why I’ve decided to help you,” The young girl continues with a wry smile, “Tell me monsieur, will you be attending the Time Travel Convention this year?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not 100% sure how happy I am with this chapter, but I think I did pretty well. Don't be afraid to let me know what you think. Thanks for reading. This story is over but there's more stories to come.


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